More Toil and Trouble
by Slaymesoftly
Summary: A sequel to "Double Bubble Toil and Trouble" in which Willow went on more of a power trip than she did in canon, resulting in, among other things, a different and evolving relationship between Spike and Buffy. This story pics up a couple of weeks after and goes on it's non-canon way from there.
1. Chapter 1

**MORE TOIL AND TROUBLE** (a sequel to Double Bubble, Toil and...)

**CHAPTER ONE**

"Where's Spike?" Buffy's sent her gaze around the living room as casually as she could without missing any corners. While part of her breathed a sign of relief at not having to spend another evening awkwardly avoiding any mention of their time spent under Willow's spells, and avoiding his occasional surreptitious wink, another part of her missed his presence at their Scooby meetings. In just a short amount of time, they'd all become so used to him that they noticed when he wasn't there.

"What do you care?" Willow fixed Buffy with a suspicious gaze. Although Buffy insisted Willow had misunderstood her when she'd appeared to admit having had sex with Spike, she still hadn't been able to completely convince her that it didn't happen.

"Maybe I'm concerned because _somebody_ threatened to make his chip start firing until it fried his brain," Buffy snapped, her glare reminding Willow that she was not anyone's favorite person just then. With her magic still just barely a tingle on the back of her neck, Willow appeared appropriately apologetic instead of snapping back as Buffy could tell she wanted to.

"I wouldn't really have done it," Willow said with a tentative, but forced, smile. Buffy stared at her coldly, then relaxed and sighed.

"I'd really like to think so, Wills, but you know, you were really out of control there for a while."

"I was in _perfect _control!" Willow clapped her hands over her mouth as she realized what she'd said. Buffy saw Giles's head snap up from where he'd appeared engrossed in something at his desk. His narrowed eyes didn't bode well for Willow's chances of being trusted again anytime soon.

"So, then you did all that stuff to us on purpose? Is that right? You tried to get Xander killed, and made Giles blind, and tried to make Spike and me—" Buffy remembered what Giles had called it at the same time Willow did and she shuddered. "You tried to rape us."

"No! No, Giles is wrong. It wasn't rape. I was just giving you both something to do that would keep you busy. Nobody was raping anybody."

"So, you think I'd have had—wanted to have—sex with Spike if I wasn't under a spell?"

"Ewww! No. Of course not! ... Would you?"

"No! Kinda my point, Willow. I would have been doing it against my will."

"But you didn't do it. Or so you say. You said the demons stopped you the first time. And the last time..."

"The last time, Spike wasn't under a spell and he could tell I was. _He_ didn't want to." Buffy bit her lip at the lie she knew she was telling, but decided it was the safest route. "But if I'd made him do it anyway, I would have been raping him – because of something you did."

Xander held up his hand. "Speaking as someone who shares the same Y chromosome, can I just say Spike probably wouldn't see it that way?"

"It doesn't matter how he would have seen it. That's what I would have been doing. I'm stronger than he is. If I'd really tried to make him... well, even if he didn't _mind_ doing it, it still wouldn't have been his idea." Buffy turned away from her friends' curious looks. "Giles? Where is he? Did you put him back in the tub?"

Giles shook his head and answered her absently, his attention focused on a very real concern at Willow's lack of understanding about her dangerous use of magic and obvious resentment at being called on it.

"No. I've determined he's harmless as long as that chip is functioning, and he has shown himself to be... perhaps not as mindlessly evil as he seems. I told him he could go out and try to find himself a safe place to live. Somewhere the soldiers are unlikely to find him again, and somewhere not here, interfering with my privacy."

"_Privacy?"_ Xander mimicked Giles's British pronunciation. "What do you need privacy for? It's not like you have a date or something." Xander's grin faded at Giles's cold stare. "Do you?"

Somewhat stiffly, Giles said, "I do have an... old friend... from England flying in next week to spend some time in this country. She will be staying here, and I would prefer not to subject her to Spike's presence."

"So you're turning him loose on Sunnydale, just 'cause you have a hot date?"

"The alternative would be to send him home with you. Would you have preferred that?"

Xander's eyes grew wide. "Sunnydale's populace it is. You're on your own, people." He put his arm around Anya and pulled her against his side.

Buffy sighed. On the one hand, it was nice not to have to spend the evening avoiding Spike's knowing eyes, or his suggestive lip licking, on the other hand...

"I guess I'd better go patrol. I'll keep an eye out for Spike in case he's doing something he shouldn't be."

"Isn't that pretty much everything he does?" Anya asked in all seriousness.

"Yeah. Most of the time, I guess it is. All the more reason to keep track of where he is and what he's doing."

"If you think he's going to be that big a problem, Buff, why don't you just stake him?"

"Why, indeed," Giles muttered as Buffy blushed and struggled for an answer.

Ignoring Giles's almost under-his-breath comment, Buffy shrugged. "It's not going to be a big deal. I'll probably run into him in some cemetery every once in a while, and Willy can keep me in the loop on whatever else he's is doing. If it's evil, he goes poof! If it isn't, then it really isn't any of my business what he does."

Having said her piece, and not wanting to answer any more questions, Buffy waved and went out the door. "If it's not too late, Giles, I'll report back. Otherwise, I'll catch you tomorrow." She grinned at Willow and Xander. "I can't wait to meet your 'old friend'."

If Giles responded, she didn't hear it over the sound of her friends' laughter as she pulled the door shut behind her.

XXXX

She was strolling through Restfield, one of the older cemeteries, when she felt familiar tingles on her neck. Two days in such close physical contact with Spike had given her body an awareness of his signature far greater than what she would get from a run-of-the-mill vamp. Pretending she had no idea he was there, she continued her stroll, twirling her stake and humming to herself.

She giggled when he leapt off the roof of a crypt, not trying to hide his disappointment that she wasn't startled.

"What's wrong with you? If I'd wanted to kill you—"

"If you weren't you – which I knew you were – then I wouldn't have been so casual. Stop pouting. I knew it was you."

"Humph!" he snorted, falling into step beside her. "I'm not sure if I should be flattered or annoyed that you could tell it was me."

"I'm not sure about that either," Buffy admitted. "But I can. Ever since we..."

"Makes sense, when you put it that way," he agreed. "It's not like I wouldn't be able to pick your scent out of a crowd without even tryin'."

"So I guess one of us trying to sneak up on the other is not worth the effort, huh?"

"Guess not. Why? Were you feelin' sneaky?"

"Not right now. But you never know when I might have to sneak up on you to catch you doing something evil."

"Note to self, the Slayer's willing to sneak to catch me being evil." He cocked his head at her. "Isn't the normal Scooby line that I'm being evil just by existing? No sneaking necessary."

Buffy blushed but shrugged her agreement. "Not _being_ evil, but doing something evil. There's a fine line."

"If you say so, pet. Pretty sure you've mentioned more than once that my unsoulled self is evil personified. Remember it well, truth be told."

"Well, that was before... Are you trying to make me stake you?"

He brushed against her arm and bumped her with his hip. "Just pullin' your chain, Slayer." When she didn't move away, he brushed against her again. "Are you sayin' my little demonstration of self-control made an impression on you? Evilness- wise?"

"Well," she said as she pushed him away. "It did show me that if I catch you being – doing – something evil, it won't be because you can't control your true nature. I'll know you're being evil on purpose."

"Hmmmm. So, my gentlemanly behavior might come back and bite me on the arse?"

"I dunno. Maybe? I mean now that I know you _can_ be..." She trailed off, not sure what she now thought she knew about him.

"Charming, considerate, fun, sexy, a perfect gentleman and a brilliant lover? Stop me when I run of things you could call me."

"I doubt I _could_ run out things you might call you," she said with a snort of laughter. "_I'd_ have to stop at... nice. You can be nice," she said firmly. "That's as good as you'll get from me. Take it or leave it."

"_NICE?_ I keep you from seducing me on your watcher's couch and _nice_ is the best you can do? I backed up your story so your little gang of holier than thou Scoobies wouldn't know what we did for two full days." As he warmed to his subject, he began to raise his voice and wave his arms around. "And I... I..."

"And you said you're not going to stop trying to get me back into bed," Buffy finished for him. "Just so you know, that doesn't count as being any of those things you want to think you are. Duck!"

A seasoned fighter, even if he was still more used to fighting against Buffy than with her, Spike dropped to the ground and rolled in time to see Buffy take the head off a demon that was bringing a club down just where Spike had been standing. He continued rolling until he was far enough away to see Buffy face off against three more of the odd-looking creatures wielding clubs. Rather than coming at her one at a time, they moved apart and tried to encircle her. With a roar, he covered the space in one leap, just in time to block a blow to her blind side.

"Demons that know how to fight by ganging up on me," Buffy gasped as she took the head off one of the two remain demons. "What's the world coming to?"

Spike had wrestled the club away from his opponent and was busy whacking away with it while Buffy dealt with the lone remaining foe. When she had dodged often enough to be tired of it, she flipped over the demon's head and sliced his club-wielding arm off with her sword. She landed in a fighting position, poised on the balls of her feet, sword at the ready, but the hapless one-armed creature stared at his missing arm for a moment, then gave a scream and went running off, leaving arm and club behind.

"Spike, I think you've made your point," Buffy said, leaning against a tree and watching him continue to pound the obviously dead body in front of him, his expression one of sheer glee.

"Just wanted to make sure the wanker wasn't getting up again," he said, letting the ichor-covered club drop to the ground. "Feels good to be able to fight back again."

"About that..." Buffy's sword was still dangling from her hand, loosely held, but clearly not put away. "Why didn't your chip fire?"

"Doesn't fire when I hit other demons – just humans." He glanced sideways at her, watching her expression carefully.

"And you know that because..." She lifted the sword just enough to be able to bring it into play quickly.

"Because we fought our way out of that demon gang that captured us. Don't you remember?"

"Spike, we made that up, _remember?_ There was no gang of demons, just us and a skeevy motel room."

"But that's what we told your little band of do-gooders, isn't it? So that's how I would know I can hurt demons." He beamed at her, pleased with his explanation.

"I'm not asking you what you're going to tell anybody else. I'm asking you how you _know_. How do you know that now?"

He shuffled his feet, seeming embarrassed, then sighed. "I ran into one of my old minions earlier tonight and he brassed me off so bad I hit him without thinking about it – and nothing happened. No electricity in my head, no headache. Made him dust – just to be sure – and then I tried it out on a couple other former employees that couldn't be arsed to help me when I needed it. No pain at all... not for me anyway," he finished in a mutter, his head turned away from her.

"Maybe the chip has quit working. Did you think about that? Maybe you can kill again and I should just—" She raised the sword and gestured to his neck. Spike danced back a few steps and help up his hands.

"No, no. Easy there, Slayer. Chip works just fine on humans."

Buffy just raised an eyebrow at him and waited for him to answer her obvious question. He moved back a little more and ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Might have tried it out... just for the sake of experimentation, you understand? Needed to know if I—"

"You tried to _kill_ somebody?" She advanced on him, keeping pace with his rapid back-pedaling.

"Not as such, no!" he sputtered. "I mean, I might have tried to have a little taste of—" Buffy's blow to his face interrupted his explanation. She'd dropped the sword and began to hit him, spitting out curses between her clenched teeth.

"You tried to kill somebody. You tried to _eat_ somebody! Xander was right. If that chip ever comes out, you'll go right back to killing. Give me one reason I shouldn't dust you right now!"

Spike cowered under her blows, but made no attempt to fight back until she caught him in the nose. He retaliated the only way he could – with words.

"Ow! You self-righteous bitch! I'm a _vampire!_ What the bloody hell did you think I was going to do? Wear a white hat and sip pig swill for the rest of my life just because the Slayer let me into her knickers?"

Buffy's face went white, but rather than dealing the lethal blow he was already cringing away from, she froze and stared at him, ignoring the growing regret she could easily read in his eyes.

"Buffy... I—"

She chopped the air with her hand. "No. Don't talk to me. Don't ever talk to me. Just stay away, Spike. Far, far away. I can't believe I was that stupid."

She whirled, grabbing her sword off the ground without even looking, and began to march away, blinking back what she told herself were tears of anger. She didn't turn around to see what Spike was doing, so missed the way he slumped to the ground, head down, hands dangling between his knees. She couldn't hear the names he was calling himself, nor could she see the pain on his face that had nothing to do with his broken nose.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

After a few more quiet Scooby meetings in which Spike was conspicuously absent, Buffy's snapped out, "Who the hell cares?" when asked if she knew where he'd been lately. Her overly emphatic response had everyone staring at her in varying degrees of shock or satisfaction.

"So," Xander clearly tried not to sound too curious, "does that mean you finally staked him?" If there was an undercurrent of concern that the only other man even close to his age might not be around to hang around and banter with him, no one else noticed it... until Anya spoke up.

"You know you don't want Buffy to stake Spike. You said so just yesterday, remember? You said it was kind of nice having some guys your age around for a change. Not that Spike is really your age, of course, he's much older than you or Giles, but—"

"That enough, Ahn. I didn't mean I _cared _if she staked him, just that I was getting used to—never mind. I'm guessing she didn't... did you, Buffy?"

"No. I didn't stake him. Letting stupid things fall out of your mouth isn't a slaying offense. Not yet, anyway." She stared at Xander. "What other guy your age were you talking about? I know it can't be Giles! He's like... ancient. Older than my mom, even."

"In the room," Giles muttered, retreating behind his desk and trying to read the book lying open there.

"I meant the guy Willow says is all hot and heavy for you. The guy in your psych class?"

"Oh." Buffy blushed. "You mean Riley. He's the TA and yeah, we're kind of sort of... but the spell kinda put the brakes on that. I mean, I was gone for two days – when those demons had us," she quickly added. "And then there was more spelling, and other... stuff, and I just haven't seen much of him lately. Only in class and sometimes he buys me lunch. I guess I should do something about that... He seems like a nice guy. All human and normal and... like that. Yep, I should definitely be doing something about reminding him that we were working on a thing."

Willow frowned at Buffy. "You mean you still haven't told him that you were under a spell when you said you were getting married? That was weeks ago!"

Buffy flushed and ducked her head. "Well, I mean... how do I explain that the redhead he thinks is so brilliant put a spell on me that made me think I was getting married to a vampire? How do I explain about vampires? It just seemed like it would lead to awkward questions, you know?"

"Right. Whereas letting him think you were getting married isn't awkward at all."

"Okay, fine. I'll try to find a way to sneak it into a conversation. I think we're having lunch tomorrow..."

Giles looked up from his books. "Buffy, I don't know that I think it's wise of you to share too much with this man you hardly know. If he truly is one of those responsible for Spike's condition, then there is a great deal you still don't know about him."

"I know he's a nice, normal guy. And he might know something about vampires, I guess. He just doesn't know that _I _know about them."

XXXX

Which changed a week later when Riley and his team ended up in the same bell tower where Buffy was fighting to destroy the Gentlemen...

Rather than answering the questions Riley was obviously planning to ask after her scream had made the Gentlemens' heads explode, Buffy just gave him a weak smile and a wave.

"Hey. Hi! Gotta go. Studying to do."

She ran past him and down the stairs, ignoring the shouts of "Hey!" and "Stop her!" from his men. She ran to Giles's to double check that everyone had their voices back, turning down his offer to get some sleep there in favor of returning to her own home to check on her mother. She wasn't sure if Olivia's sigh was one of relief that they were going to be left alone, or resignation that it wouldn't have occurred to Giles not to make the offer. Buffy smiled weakly and asked if she was having a good visit. There was an uncomfortable silence for several seconds before Giles cleared his throat and explained that Olivia did not care for her taste of life on the Hellmouth, and would be returning to England the following morning.

"Oh. Well that's too bad. I mean I know those guys were creepy and all, but usually we don't get anything that bad until Spring, and then I have to slay something to save the world, and... I'm not helping, am I?"

XXXXX

Buffy's good mood and feeling of accomplishment were ruined when she found her mother and Spike sitting in the kitchen.

"What is he doing here?" She turned her glare on Spike. "What are you doing here?"

"Buffy! Spike is a guest. Don't speak to him like that."

"Spike is a piece of unsoulled, piggy, vampire dust-waiting-to-happen. Not guest material, Mom." She turned her attention back to the uncharacteristically quiet vampire. "Answer me, Spike. What are you doing here?"

"I reckoned you'd be busy being all heroic and whatnot," he growled. "Thought maybe your mum could use somebody to make sure her heart stays in her chest where it belongs."

"It's not your job to guard my mother!" Seeing Joyce's steadily growing anger, Buffy realized that her response to finding Spike in the house was an overreaction that she needed to tone down if she wasn't going to be explaining to her mother why she was so unreasonably angry at someone she'd been spending a lot of time with until fairly recently.

"But thanks, anyway," she mumbled, with as apologetic a shrug as she could manage. "I _was_ busy making creepy guys go boom." She took a deep breath and smiled at her mom. "So, you're okay? Got your voice back and no ugly guys trying to get in the house?"

"There was some kind of creature trying to get through the door, but Spike threw him out in the yard and had a fight with him. I was just about to try to patch him up when you came and—"

For the first time, Buffy took a good look at Spike and saw that he was developing a black eye and that he had deep scratches on the side of his face. She grimaced with guilt as her hand went to his cheek, just barely brushing the scratches.

"They've got long arms, don't they?" she said, for lack of any better idea how to apologize.

"Had some reach on me," he admitted. "How'd you handle 'em?"

"You don't want to know," she said, remembering that the soldiers were not Spike's favorite residents of Sunnydale.

"Little help from the military?" he guessed, smiling when she flinched. "Come on, Slayer. It's not like we don't know that's what your new boytoy is. Him and his over-fed, over-muscled mates. Stands to reason they'd have been out looking too. Could've been worse."

"Worse than Riley watching me kick ugly minion ass and then scream until their creepy bosses exploded?" She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, nothing impresses a guy like watching a girl beat up something he can't. And then get rid of the rest of them by shrieking like a banshee."

"What did you tell him, Buffy? Doesn't he know about your slayer duties?" Joyce frowned in genuine confusion.

"Giles doesn't like for too many people to know about me. Especially people who are pretending not to be what they really are."

"Watcher's probably right, luv," Spike said, taking the ice bag Joyce handed him and smiling his thanks at her. He pressed it to his eye and continued talking to Buffy. "You're every bit as... unusual... as any vampire or demon. And if he's seen you in action, he's gonna be looking for an explanation. What did you tell him?" he asked, repeating Joyce's question.

"I told him I had studying to do and I ran out," she admitted, glaring at Spike when he snorted.

"Well, that was brilliant."

"I didn't feel like trying to explain right then! I wanted to check on Mom, and tell Giles it was over, and go back to my room and sleep!"

"Why don't you stay here tonight?" Joyce asked. "You could get up early and I'll drop you at your dorm on my way to work. You too, Spike," she said. "There's still a cot in the basement. You can stay here if you want to."

While Buffy sputtered, "Oh no, he can't!" Spike smirked at her, but said, "I appreciate the offer, Joyce, but I found a place for myself the other night and I should probably make sure it's still mine. Got some more work to do to make it homey."

"I can't stay, Mom. I really do have some reading to do before bed, and the closer I am to my classes, the later I can sleep in tomorrow. But thanks. I wish I could. I miss my own comfy bed. I'd better get going. It'll take me a while to get from here to the dorm."

"She can save the world, but she can't drive a car..." Spike's comment was barely audible, although Joyce's smile told him she'd guessed what it was.

Buffy's suspicious "What did you say?" got an innocent blink.

"Said my car's jus' down the street. Could ride you back to your uncomfortable little bed if you like."

She narrowed her eyes, but the idea of walking all the way to the campus when she could ride was too stupid to pass on his offer.

"Fine. Let's go."

Spike put the icebag in the sink and thanked Joyce again for her offer of a place to stay.

"I should be thanking you. I don't know what I would have done if that creature had actually come in the house when you weren't here."

"You'd have hit it with an axe or something," he said with a grin. "Know good and well where Buffy got her knack for whacking things, don't I?"

From the laugh Spike and Joyce shared, Buffy could tell it wasn't the first time they'd talked about their first meeting. Rolling her eyes at the way they obviously thought it was a funny memory, Buffy gave her mother a hug and went to the door.

"Come on, Spike. While you're driving me home, you can explain to me why you're so buddy-buddy with my mom."

"It's 'cause she's nicer to be around than you are, Slayer," he said, waving his good-bye as he followed Buffy out the door. "Thought that'd be obvious."

"Ha, ha."

"'s truth, pet. She's right nice, your mum is."

"I can be nice!"

"'Course you can. Never doubted it... just haven't seen it." He laughed and ducked away from the punch she threw at his head.

When they reached his car, he sped up and opened the passenger side door for her. Buffy's eyes went wide, and he quickly shook the keys at her. "Had to unlock it, Slayer. Don't leave my baby unprotected in this town." Muttering to himself, he walked around, unlocked the driver's side door and slid behind the wheel.

Buffy got in gingerly, but was surprised to see that the interior, at least in the front seats, was relatively clean. She peered into the back and found the expected empty cans and bottles on the floor.

"Okay, that looks more like what I expected to see in here. You had me worried for a while there – with the opening the door for me and the clean front seat."

To her surprise, he didn't answer immediately, and she could see a muscle twitch in his cheek.

"Are you growling at me?"

He blew out his breath and shook his head. "No, Slayer. Not growling at you. Growling at myself for being a stupid git."

"I don't get it."

"Too bloody right you don't," was his terse reply. "We're here." He stopped the car in front of the main gate into the dorm area and waited, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

"What flew up your butt?"

"Nothing. What do you care? Don't want to talk to me anyway, do you?"

Buffy's eyes narrowed. "Do you really want to remind of that? I was trying to forget about it because you came to take care of my mom, but I can go there if you really want to..."

He sighed and dropped his head against the back of the seat. "No. I don't want to go there, but I reckon I should." He turned his head and met her glare. "It was stupid and uncalled for, and you had every right to be brassed off. My only defense is that my nose hurt, and knowin' I couldn't hit you back, I—" He sighed. "Wasn't my finest moment, I admit."

"So if you could have hit me back..." She rolled her eyes. "Spike, if you could've hit me back, I would've had to stake you. That was the whole point – you tried to kill somebody."

"Did not."

"You said you did!"

"I said I tried to _bite_ somebody. Didn't say a bloody thing about killing him. Jus' needed to see if I could bite. If I could defend myself against—Wasn't planning to kill him. I just needed to know. _You_ decided I'd tried to kill somebody and used it as an excuse to beat me up." He dropped his head back again and closed his eyes. "Didn't give me time to explain."

"You make it sound like it was my fault you said... what you said. I didn't ask you to talk about what we did like it was something—" She waved a hand around, at a loss for what to call his crude version of their time under the spell.

"It wasn't." He interrupted her, shaking his head. "You know it wasn't. I was just shooting off my mouth, trying to hurt you."

"Congratulations."

"Yeah. Got that memo. I'm sorry, lo—Slayer."

"Well you oughtta be..." She tipped her head to look at him out of the corner of her eyes. "You're really sorry?"

"Was sorry before the words were all the way out of my soddin' mouth," he said. "Can't tell you how much I wanted to take them back. But it was too late, wasn't it? Figured I was lucky not to be blowing in the wind."

Buffy frowned. "I never really thought about staking you. Which is kinda weird... I just wanted to get away from you and not have to look at you or hear you anymore."

She saw him flinch.

"Did I mention – sorry?"

"You did. But it bears repeating. Possibly every day for the next couple of weeks..." When he turned his head to growl at her, she giggled, which turned his growl into a reluctant smile.

"You're pushing it, Slayer."

"Yep. I am. How often are you gonna feel bad enough about something you do to apologize to me? I'm going to... to savor it."

He gave a rueful chuckle. "Guess you're entitled at that. Alright, savor away, pet."

They were quiet for a moment, then Buffy sighed and pulled the handle to open her door. "I do have to get in. If I'm lucky, I won't fall face down in the middle of Shakespeare's sonnets."

"Old Will's sonnets can be right amusing if you pick the right ones. You'll be alright."

There was another silence while Buffy stared at him with wide eyes, a frown forming as she digested Spike's words and his I-didn't-really-say-that expression.

"Did you just—"

"Nope. Didn't. Time to go, Slayer. Don't slam the door when you get out. Good night."

Without meeting her eyes, he conspicuously put the car in gear and waited for her to get out. Still frowning at him, she opened the door and put her legs out, then turned to say, "We're going to talk about this again."

"No we're not. Night-night, Buffy."

Shaking her head, she got out of the car. "Thanks for the ride, Spike. And yes we are." She closed the door gently and stepped away as the car began to move away. She stared after it, the puzzled frown never leaving her face.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

"Giles, why would Spike know anything about Shakespeare's sonnets?"

He blinked at Buffy for a second. "I beg your pardon?"

"Spike. He told me I'd enjoy reading the sonnets if I picked the right ones. How does a vampire know that? I mean, I know Angel used to read a lot of weird stuff, but he's really old... and... and Angel. This is Spike! Bleached hair, nail polish, smokes, drinks, steals—"

"I'm quite aware of Spike's faults, thank you, Buffy. What brought this on?"

"I told you. He said I'd like some of the sonnets. And he was right!"

"Yes. And when did he share this important information with you? I thought he'd taken himself out of our lives."

"What? Oh that. No, I was just mad at him and I told him to stay away from me. But we're okay now, so he'll probably be here later."

"I see. He said you would like some of the sonnets and now you're 'okay'. When did he make this revelation?"

"He drove me back to school from my mom's. He went there to make sure she was okay and ended up fighting one of those creepy minions that was trying to get in the house."

"Spike went to your home to protect your mother while you were fighting the Gentlemen? And she let him in?"

"Oh, he's been able to get into my house since we called a truce to stop Angelus. He and my mom like each other. They talk about... well I don't know what they talk about. Art maybe?" Her eyes got big. "Shakespeare _and _art? I think Mr. Bloody and I are going to have a long talk about what he was like as a human."

"I would venture to guess that it was quite different from the rough exterior he presents now." Giles appeared uninterested in continuing the conversation and went back to the book he'd been looking through. "I did find more information about the Gentlemen. Apparently we don't have to worry about their reappearance now that you've caused them to self-destruct. The book didn't say what happens to the minions, but—"

"Giles, we're not talking about last night's ugly evil people, we were talking about Spike. William the Bloody. Why do you think he was different? I mean, other than he obviously wore different clothes...whatever the Victorian version of punk was."

"From some of my conversations with him when he was living here, I suspect we would be quite surprised by both his social level and education when he was human. Why he has chosen to present himself as a thug rather than a gentleman, I have no idea, but I believe it to be very different from his former life."

Buffy thought about Spike's behavior when they were under Willow's spell, as well as when he wasn't bespelled and her frown deepened. "That lying son of a bitch!"

"Excuse me?" Giles looked up from the new book he had just opened.

"Spike! He _does_ know how to be a gentleman. I've seen it."

"Well, there you have it. I imagine he also was quite well educated. Shakespeare's works may well be something in which he has some expertise. Now, do stop talking about Spike's history and help me decide what to do about Willow."

"Willow?" Buffy's voice went up again. "We're doing something about Willow? Why are we doing something about Willow?"

Giles just stared at her until she looked away.

"Yeah, okay, okay. But you took her magic. And she's sorry for what she did. She says so all the time."

"She does indeed say she is sorry. Unfortunately, her attitude does not indicate that to be the case, and she is beginning to regain her powers. Slowly, but surely. And if I cannot get her to understand the dangerous forces she is playing with..."

"Giles, it's _Willow._ You're talking about her like she was some..." Buffy's voice trailed off as she remembered how scary Willow had been when confronted about her misuse of magic.

"Like someone who might want to take revenge on those who thwarted her latest attempt to control her friends?" He held Buffy's gaze until she nodded and sighed.

"Okay. So she gets a little carried away... Spike said she was on a power trip the first time. I won't repeat what he said about the second spell..."

"She was – both times. And she's given us no reason to assume she will not want to exercise that power again if and when she gets it back."

"Well, what can we do? Can't you just keep her from getting it back?"

"As she regains her natural power, that which I absorbed from her is slowly leaching away from me. I may still be stronger than she is, and I certainly have much of the knowledge she lacks, but the point is, if we cannot trust her, it will not be safe to be around her."

"Wonderful. My best friend is turning out to be evil." Buffy slumped into a chair.

"Not evil, perhaps, but certainly a bit too concerned with controlling those around her to suit me." He gave Buffy a shrewd look. "You may recall that causing Spike's chip to fire until it destroyed his brain was one of her threats. I am assuming you would not want that to happen?"

Buffy sighed. "No. I don't want his brain turned to mush. And I don't particularly want to be turned back into nympho-Buffy again either. " She raised an eyebrow at him. "But speaking of people pretending to be thugs... bringing back Ripper again might be fun."

"No, it wouldn't. None of you would like that – least of all Willow." Giles didn't elaborate, only closed the notebook he'd been jotting notes into and stood up. "I have contacted the coven again and they are sending someone over to work with Willow. The hope is that by the time she regains her power, she will have learned more about how to use it to make the world a better place... for everyone, not just for herself."

"I can't believe we're talking about nerdy little Willow like she was—"

"A dangerously too-full-of-herself-witch?" Spike's voice preceded him into the room. Giles and Buffy both whirled around to see the door swinging shut behind him.

"How did you get in here?"

He frowned at Buffy and pointed behind him. "Through that door, same as you did. Why? Did you have the Watcher do a dis-invite while you were brassed off at me?"

"No! I just meant..." She turned to Giles. "Why didn't we hear him come in?"

Spike responded before Giles could. "Vampire, luv. Predator. Stalker of prey. Supernatural creature of the night." He smirked at them. "Anyway, you two were so wrapped up in your debate about Red that even she could have walked in before you noticed."

He turned to look at Giles. "So what are you going to do with her, Watcher? I expect she's going to be a mite annoyed with all of us when she recovers enough to do something about it."

"You would likely be safe from her wrath, Spike, if you just remain out of sight as you have been lately."

"Not planning to do that," he said tersely. When Giles stiffened, Spike sent Buffy a sharp look. "Not unless the Slayer orders me to again. Was that the plan, pet? Had a change of heart?"

Buffy shook her head. "No. I just told Giles we were okay and you would be back. But now that I think about it... if you weren't around, she probably wouldn't remember she was mad at you. Maybe you should—"

"Not hiding from her," he growled. "Been away from you long enough, not going to—" The shocked expressions on Giles's face and the panicked one on Buffy's had Spike swallowing the rest of what was obviously going to be a revelation best kept to himself. "I mean, Big Bad here. May not be able to rip her throat out, but that doesn't mean I'm going to grovel to her."

"Just so you know, 'ripping her throat out' wasn't one of our ideas," Buffy said, hoping Giles would go with the change of subject. When he closed his eyes and sighed heavily, she knew he'd understood Spike only too well. Giving the abashed vampire a glare that promised future retribution, Buffy went on. "But we do need to have some kind of plan. Just in case the witch from the coven can't do whatever it is she's supposed to do."

"My hope is that Willow will accept her as a fellow practitioner and mentor, and allow herself to be guided in the appropriate use of magic, with an emphasis on the importance of avoiding those areas that might open her to darker forces."

"Willow's kinda used to be the smartest person in the room. I'm not sure how she'll take to being mentored." Buffy frowned. "Maybe Xander can talk to her..."

Giles and Spike gave almost identical scoffing coughs.

"What? Is that some kind of English thing – coughing when you don't like something?" Buffy tapped her foot and switched her glare back and forth between them. "Xander's been her best friend since kindergarten. She loves him. Even if she won't listen, she won't hurt him. Which is more than you can say," she added, pointing at Spike. "And probably you too, Giles. She was pretty mad about the way you took her magic away."

"And exactly how do you think Xander is going to stop her? She almost got him killed."

"Yeah, but she didn't mean to. And she fixed him before she fixed you... or us... which I guess wasn't really fixing in our case..."

"Exactly. While I am grateful that her careless comments didn't result in the actions she anticipated..." Giles shot a sharp look at Spike who did his best to look innocent, then switched his gaze to Buffy who looked no more than appropriately embarrassed about having been caught with her hand wrapped around Spike's cock. He shook his head, and continued. "As fortunate as you are that you did not suffer any serious consequences from those spells, there is no guarantee that her next attempt to control either one of you will be so benign... relatively speaking," he added quickly when both Buffy and Spike gaped at him. "Not that she was... benign is perhaps not the word I want... perhaps will be less embarrassing and more uncomfortable... not that you weren't both uncomfortable, but—"

"We get it, Giles," Buffy said, refusing to look in Spike's direction. "There are worse things she could do than wish non-stop sex on us."

"Exactly."

Giles buried his face back in his book and missed the silent laughter Spike was barely able to contain. Buffy did not miss it, but instead of saying anything, she pointed to the door and picked up her stakes. As she opened the weapons chest and took out a sword, she said, "Okay. Well, we're just going to do a quick patrol and then we'll be back when everybody is here. Maybe we can just talk to Willow. Do like an intervention or something."

"Fine. Don't be too long, though. I also want to talk about your boyfriend and his organization." Buffy was just quick enough to shove Spike out the door to keep his snarl from being audible to Giles.

XXX

"Idiot!" she hissed as the door closed behind them. "We want him to think nothing happened, remember?"

"He called that big oaf your 'boyfriend'. Can't expect me to hear something like that and be alright with it, can you?"

"Yes I can! You should – be all right with it, I mean. You and me... we're just... people who had sex. And, okay, maybe we don't hate each other quite as much as—"

"Haven't hated you since I came to you for help when I couldn't feed or defend myself. Can't say I'd have been askin' you to marry me, but that spell wasn't the worst thing that's ever happened to me. Opened my eyes" He looked at her sideways. "Opened yours too, if you'll just admit it to yourself."

"Shut up, Spike."

"Excellent comeback, Slayer. Put me right in my place that one did." He rolled his eyes and nudged her to the left. "Let's check out Sunnydale Memorial Garden. Think there were some burials there yesterday."

They trudged in silence for a while before Buffy asked quietly, "You didn't hate me before the spell?" She didn't look at him as she waited for the answer.

"Thought I did. Thought that was why Dru said you were 'floating all around' me. Thought she meant I was too focused on killing you and not enough on her..." He put his hands in his pockets and gave a shrug she could see from the corner of her eye. "Turns out that may not be exactly what she meant."

"Are you saying..."

"Not sayin' anything. Except don't expect me to give a hurrah every bloody time I get reminded that you have another man in your life. That's all."

Buffy was very happy to come upon a small group of newly risen vampires just leaving the cemetery, giving her an excuse not to respond. She waited, bouncing on the balls of her feet, for them to notice her.

"Hey! Dinner!" None of the fledglings were aware enough to notice that one of the people in front of them had no heartbeat and didn't smell human. They charged toward Buffy and Spike, elbowing each other to be first to taste blood. As though they had been working together for years rather than weeks, Buffy and Spike needed no speech as they instinctively divided up the group and began to dust them. While Buffy quipped and whirled, using her stakes and leaving the sword hanging down her back, Spike roared a challenge and began to fight his three opponents, not even going in to game face to do it.

When he was down to only one big man wearing the remains of Army fatigues, he said to Buffy, "Do you know this bloke?" She took a second away from her own remaining opponent and took a glance. She gasped and quickly dusted the vamp in front of her before moving to Spike's side.

"Oh my God. That's one of Riley's men. I forget his name, but I've met him."

The vampire, having finally realized that the man he'd been fighting wasn't human, and that Buffy wasn't the easy meal he'd thought she was, began to back away.

"Hey, guys. Let's just forget this whole thing, 'K? No harm, no foul. I'll just go my way and you two will—"

His dust drifted to the ground and just past where he'd been standing they could see Riley lowering a crossbow and staring at them.

"Buffy? Are you going to tell me what's going on? Or do you have more 'studying' to do tonight?"

She sighed, stepped in front of Spike when Riley began to raise the crossbow again. "I'm the Slayer, Riley. I'm surprised you didn't figure it out."

"The what?"

"Slayer, the. Look it up. And please don't point that at Spike."

"He's a hostile. I need to take him in."

"You had him once. You lost him. He's mine now. He can't hurt anybody, so there's no reason he can't be free."

"He can't? So the chip is working, huh?"

"It's working. And if it stops working... well, that's my problem to deal with. Go look up 'Slayer' and we'll talk tomorrow."

She remained standing in front of Spike until Riley had lowered the crossbow again and walked back to join the black-clad men she now noticed watching them. Not until she was sure that they had walked far enough away that Spike's back would be safe from a crossbow bolt did she turn to start walking back to Giles's. She could hear the raised voices behind her as they began to question Riley about both her and the "hostile" she was walking off with.

"Can you hear them?"

Spike nodded, his head cocked as he listened to the discussion. When they were too far away even for his hearing, he blew out a breath and shook his head.

"What?" Buffy picked up speed now that there was no reason to linger, and the apartment complex was soon in sight.

"Well, one of them has heard of the Slayer – although it was all a bunch of bollocks – so they're off to read up on you. The argument seems to be whether you are evil, like the company you keep – yours truly being mentioned – or something else that they don't know about."

"Great. They'll probably be wanting to put a chip in my head." She giggled in disbelief at her own words, but Spike surprised her by stopping right in front of the door and touching her arm to get her attention. His expression was one of genuine fear. Neither of them noticed Giles, who had opened the door and was watching quietly.

"That's not funny, luv. It could happen. The sadistic old bint that runs that place would probably love to take you apart and see what makes you tick. Promise me you won't go anywhere near that lab."

"Don't be silly," she said, more kindly than she might have if he hadn't looked so worried. "I'm human. Just like them. And I slay vampires and demons, and I fight evil, and—"

"You're nothing at all like them. You're stronger than any two of them put together, faster than they are, and you don't capture demons so you can saw off their body parts or experiment on them to see how much pain they can take." He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Promise me you'll be careful."

Buffy threw his hands off. "Spike. I'm the Slayer, remember? If they aren't as much on the side of good as they say they are, then I need to know about it. And I probably will have to do something about it. You'll just have to... to... deal with it. The best thing you can do is don't let yourself get captured again, and maybe you can find out more about what's going on by asking other demons. You can't be the only one that got away."


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

"I suspect he may well be." Giles's voice broke into their argument before it could become heated. "Willow has learned more about them and I have been in contact with the Council. It seems they may have some old information, dating back to the second World War, about a similar sort of project begun by the Nazis."

"Bloody, buggering, fuck... " Spike's voice was barely a whisper as he stared at Giles, his shock almost palpable. "I can't believe I didn't remember..." Giles frowned and gestured for them to enter the house. They walked past him, Spike still in an obvious daze.

"Remember what?"

"Sadistic wankers. Of course that's where they got the idea. The big poof took all the paperwork and probably gave it to the US government when he finished his mission."

"Mission? US Government? Big poo— You mean Angel? What the hell are you talking about, Spike?"

"Is there something we need to know?" Giles pushed Spike farther into the room. "If you have information my slayer needs before she gets any further involved with these people..."

Spike snapped out of his momentary trip down memory lane and shook his head to clear it.

"Was part of a similar little 'experiment' back on the Continent during that war. Nazis rounded up all the vampires they could find and ran tests on us to see how or if they could control us. Got caught when I was outnumbered one night. At least Dru got away, but they had me trussed up and muzzled."

"What does Angel have to do with anything?" Buffy glared at him, hands on her hips. "And how did you get away from them?"

"Ended up on a submarine somehow. Weren't but three of us left by then. Couple of really vicious old ugly buggers they'd grabbed from the backwoods and me. They ran out of the juice they used to keep us doped up, and we started eating our way through the Nazis and then the American crew that took over the sub. They'd captured it somehow and were bringing it home when we started picking them off. They figured it out enough to lock us in one part of the ship, but then they couldn't come back there to fix anything and seems like we were stuck somewhere... I don't know how they got Peaches to cooperate, but he gets all heroic and somehow swims down and gets into the stuck sub so he can take care of whatever's killing everybody and get it up and running again."

"Angel? Angel was on a submarine?"

"Weren't you payin' attention? We were all on a submarine. And stuck at the bottom of the ocean not too far off shore, I guess. Anyway, old Peaches did for my two ugly buddies, but he let me go after I promised not to bite anybody else. But one of the sailors – only one that could fix something or other, got hurt in the little dust-up, and the only way to finish the mission to bring the ship and all it's secrets to shore was to turn that poor bugger so he could finish fixing things."

Buffy's face turned white and she sank into the big chair. "Angel let you kill and turn somebody?"

"No, 'course not! Had to do it himself, didn't he? Add another thing to brood about for that conscience he got cursed with."

Giles looked at Buffy with sympathy as he began scribbling in a notebook. "Go on, Spike."

Paying no attention to Giles, Spike knelt in front of Buffy and took her hands in his. "Man was dyin' anyway, luv. When Peaches turned him, it gave Sam time to make the fix and get the boat afloat again before everybody else died of lack of oxygen. Not to defend the old man, but he did what needed doin' to save the rest." When she visibly relaxed and gave him a small nod, Spike dropped her hands and turned back to Giles. "Threw me and his new get out of ship and told us to swim away. Got to shore alright, cussin' the day he was born with every stroke. And since he wasn't around, was up to me to help his new childe learn the ropes. Spent more than a few weeks together, Sam and I did, before we went our separate ways."

"Fascinating..." Giles murmured as he scribbled more notes. "And you believe that ship was the source of these current attempts to make use of vampires?"

"I'd bet anything on it. That sub and all it's secrets went straight to the US military. I doubt they got much in the way of useful information – the Nazis managed nothing more useful than to kill 'bout everything they captured – but the idea would have been there waiting to be tried again by another set of wankers."

"And modern technology has made it possible... Your chip is obviously designed to allow them to control you. Keeping humans safe is just a side effect. Or perhaps it was meant to be a way to keep your handlers safe as they pursued their experiments. It's possible there was meant to be more to the program."

"I told Riley he couldn't have Spike back," Buffy said. "And I told him to go look up Slayers. Spike thinks I shouldn't have told him what I am. That they'll want to—"

"I know they will, Slayer. Trust me. You need to stay away from them... and him. Don't trust him."

"Okay, now you're just being—" Buffy cut herself off as she realized that Giles was not the only person listening. Willow was practically falling out of her chair in eagerness to hear what else they were going to say. Hearing Buffy say that Spike was probably just jealous would be much too revealing of the change in their relationship. "...paranoid. You're just being paranoid. Because they did things to you when they had you. And because Riley wanted to take you in tonight. That doesn't mean _I _can't trust him–them. I'm not a vampire or a demon."

"Quite right. You are neither of those things. However, neither are you completely like other girls. You know that, and now they know it. As much as I hate to admit it, Spike is quite likely..." Giles sighed heavily and glared at the smirking vampire. "... correct when he says you need to stay away from Agent Finn unless you are among your friends. Not his."

"How do I stay away from my sort-of a boyfriend? I can't wait for that conversation 'Hey, Riley, I'd love to go out tomorrow night. You don't mind if Giles and the rest of my friends come too, do you?' Yeah, that will go over big."

"If you go near him, I go too." Spike's remark brought the attention back to him and all the Scoobies stared at him.

"You, especially, are not going near him!" Buffy put her hands on her hips and glared into Spike's equally angry expression. "All that would do is get you captured again, and who knows what they'd do to you this time before I could get you out?"

"Who knows what they'll do to you, you stubborn bint? And I won't be able to fight my way in to rescue you."

"Exactly why you should _not_ be with me, you moron!"

Xander spoke up tentatively, waving his hand. "Does anybody besides me find it weird that Buffy and Spike are fighting about who's going to have to protect who from the bad guys?"

"They're always fighting about something," Anya said with a shrug. "It's just since Willow's poorly-thought-out magic spells, they fight about keeping each other safe instead of who's going to kill who first."

"Poorly-thought-out?" Willow sputtered her dismay, smothering her anger when she noticed Giles nodding. "That's not fair. I was just upset and trying to feel better. I didn't try to hurt anybody on purpose."

Buffy sighed with relief that Willow and Anya had taken attention away from her and Spike. Spike turned his attention to Willow and Giles, who were now having something of a glaring contest. Finally, with a heavy sigh, Giles gestured for Willow to follow him into the hallway. Frowning at the others to keep them from following, he led her to the end of the hall before facing her.

"I understand that you did not mean, originally, to hurt anyone seriously. You were hurt and angry with us – quite rightly so, I must admit. We failed you when you needed us to be your friends and realize how much pain you were in. However, the fact is, that when you realized what your spell had done, you did not immediately rectify anything, but rather seemed to take some pleasure in our discomfort. To the point that you sent Spike and Buffy to... render themselves unconscious. A very dangerous situation for a slayer to be in under the best of circumstances. And in an intimate situation with a notoriously dangerous vampire would hardly have been the right circumstances—"

"He couldn't have hurt her," she interrupted. "And he would have been unconscious too, so even if they did..." – she waved her hand around vaguely – "she would have been safe. He wouldn't have hurt her. Even if he could. Which he can't."

"And threatening to make his chip fire until it killed him? Which I believe was your intention when you were angry that Buffy had interrupted your pursuit of additional spells? "

"It's just Spike," she muttered. "I don't see what everybody's so upset about. He's a vampire. Buffy kills them all the time. And he didn't do anything to her. So my spell didn't hurt anybody and he shouldn't have yelled at me."

"Forgoing for the moment that he has become a sometime ally for Buffy, and that he has every reason to expect he is safe in my home, he is a sentient being that you were threatening to torture or kill in a most painful manner. That speaks more to your own sense of right and wrong than it does to Spike's inherent evilness."

"Fine, fine. I shouldn't be putting spells on people who are honorary Scoobies. I get it. No spells on Spike or Anya." Willow heaved a sigh. "Is that all, Giles?"

Giles pinched his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. "Actually, that is not all. It is not even how I intended this conversation to go." He squared his shoulders and looked into her impatient eyes. "I would like you to consider meeting with an old friend of mine who will be in Sunnydale soon. She could provide some mentorship and guidance in the use of magic—" He held up his hand when she opened her mouth to interrupt him. "I understand that your anger at me means I am not the person to help you. Hence my having requested the presence of someone skilled in the magic arts, but with no history of conflict with you."

Willow's tight-lipped response didn't bode well for her acceptance. "Giles, I don't need a guardian! I have a genius IQ; I get straight A's; I could have gone to Harvard; I've been able to read adult books since I was six. Why would I need someone to help me learn magic? All I need is a good spell book."

"And the experience to understand it and the common sense to use it properly—" He stopped talking, obviously struggling to control his anger. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I am not denigrating your intelligence, simply suggesting that a skilled and experienced practitioner may have valuable insights to share with you. Someone who can guide your reading and assist you with learning to cast spells that will not have unintended consequences could be a valuable colleague and perhaps friend to you."

When she continued to glare at him, a stubborn expression on her face, he said in a softer tone, "Just think about it, please. For your own sake as well as your friends'."

"Spike isn't one of my friends," she muttered for lack of any better comeback.

"I'm sure he is not. But he can't harm you, and he is helping Buffy from time to time, so we would appreciate it if his head remained intact."

"I'll think about it," she said with little grace, then added, seemingly from no where, "But I think my spell on Spike and Buffy worked. Maybe they didn't do anything when it was only Buffy – which is really weird – but I'm sure they did before. Gang of demons, my ass. She as much as admitted it. And they like each other now. I can tell."

"Possibly due to the shared trauma of having to fight the urges you wished upon them," Giles said, although he shuddered inwardly at hearing someone else confirm what he thought he was seeing.

"Maybe she's just grateful he didn't... nope. I'm pretty sure they did. I wonder if they're going to do it again?"

"Dear Lord," Giles said as he gestured for her to precede him into the living room.

"It could happen. Look at them."

"What could happen? Look at who?" Buffy turned toward them, following up immediately with a questioning "Well?" to Giles.

"Nothing."

"Nothing. Well what?"

Buffy and Willow stared at each other, their expressions guarded, looking much less like best friends than like opponents sizing each other up. Before Giles could think of a way to break the tension, Xander jumped to his feet.

"Okay. Now that we've settled that, why don't we talk about something else? What do we know about Riley and his buddies? Good guys? Bad guys?"

Spike's growl was barely audible as Buffy shook her head. "I don't know. It's hard to believe Riley is a bad guy, but the stuff they do down there... I don't know."

"I've done everything but draw you a bloody picture!" Spike snarled. "Have your little meeting without me. When you come to your senses about your boytoy and his friends, you'll know where to find me!"


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Spike's slamming of the door as he went back into the night reverberated for several seconds while the humans all stared it. Giles recovered first.

"Well, in all fairness to Spike, his perspective is probably legitimately skewed by his own experiences. Although I cannot in good conscience say that neutering one the world's most dangerous vampires was a bad thing... as much as it must seem so to him."

"I don't think he's just talking about the chip," Buffy said quietly. "He told me some of the experiments and tests they were doing in there. I think the only reason Spike survived long enough to even be chipped is because he's so old and strong... and so stubborn."

"May... maybe I can access those records somehow," Willow said. Her tentative attempt at apology and appeasement was greeted with cautious smiles and nods.

"Can you do that?"

"I can try. I'm sure they've entered the data into a file somewhere. I just need to break in and find it." Suiting actions to words, she sat down and opened her laptop. Her "Really, Giles?" when he tried to peer over her shoulder sent him back to his desk.

Buffy stared at the closed door, then sighed and walked over to sit beside Xander and Anya.

"So, what set fangface off? What don't we know?"

"They ran a lot of tests on Spike and the other vamps and demons. Some of them were pretty brutal – lowering the temps to see if they could freeze them, raising them to see if they could make them sweat, cutting off... body parts... to see if they'd regrow. Stuff like that."

"Body parts?" Xander grew a little pale. "Spike's missing his body parts?"

"No!" Buffy realized she'd shouted and lowered her voice. "I mean, no, nothing important, anyway. He has some scars, though, from where they took out chunks of flesh. It's growing back but—"

"I knew it!" Willow crowed. "I knew you had sex with him!"

"What?"

"How would you know he had scars if you haven't seen him naked? How, huh? How?" Willow seemed more interested in proving that her spell had worked than she was in sparing Buffy embarrassment.

"He wears tee-shirts," Buffy said through clenched teeth. "He showed me his arm, and he pulled up his shirt and showed me his back. I didn't need to see him naked."

"But you have, haven't you?" Anya broke into the discussion. "You've seen him naked. I've seen the way he looks at you. He's seen you naked too. And he wants to see you that way again. I don't understand why he didn't take advantage of you the last time Willow put a spell on you. That's not very vampire-like at all."

All four of them stared at Buffy with varying degrees of curiosity and trepidation. She did her best to stare back in righteous indignation, but was hard put to maintain her innocent pose.

"All right!" She leapt to her feet and waved her hands in the air. "All right! Yes, when Willow told us to go off and screw each other unconscious, that's exactly what we did." She whirled to glare at Willow, whose expression wavered between satisfaction and dismay. "Happy now? I woke up in a sleazy motel, naked, next to a vampire that's tried to kill me. So think about that the next time you decide to throw spells around. It just turns out Spike was enough of a gentleman to give me his coat to wear home and to keep his mouth shut about what we did."

She whirled on Anya. "And he didn't take advantage of me because he didn't want to sleep with me again unless I knew what I was doing. And no, it's not 'vampire-like' and I don't know what to think about it, but I don't want him to have to go back to that place where they tortured him."

She turned her damp eyes on Giles, who was staring at her with a horrified expression on his face. "And if that makes me a bad slayer, then I'm a bad slayer. Deal with it!"

Without another word to any of the dumbstruck people in the room, she went out the door, slamming it behind her almost as hard as Spike had. She charged across the parking lot, not slowing down until she reached the street where she looked back and forth before setting off toward Restfield.

XXXX

She hadn't gone far before she realized that she was feeling familiar tingles on the back of her neck. She looked across the street to see Spike keeping pace with her, but staring straight ahead. She stopped, rolling her eyes when he stopped also, but continued to stare straight ahead.

"Are you coming over here, or am I coming over there?"

He turned his head and peered at her from under his eyelashes. "Dunno. I'm still brassed off at you."

Buffy sighed and rolled her eyes again. "Would it make you any happier if I told you I slammed out the door too?"

"You did? Why is that?" He had crossed the street and was beside her almost before she finished speaking.

"Damn, you move fast!" Buffy tried to keep the admiration from her voice, but if she was being honest with herself, she would have to admit to being impressed.

"I can move slowly when the occasion calls for it," he said, bumping her with his hip. "Could show you, if you've forgot..."

She shook her head and snorted. "Behave yourself."

They walked in companionable silence for a few minutes before Spike broke the quiet. "So, Slayer. Where are we going?"

Buffy slowed. "I don't know. I guess I was going out to find you."

"You've found me. Now what?"

She stopped and frowned at him. "I don't think I thought that far ahead. I just wanted to leave before I had to answer a bunch of embarrassing questions."

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Questions?"

She sighed and studied the toes of her shoes. "I might have... sort of... accidentally... blurted out that we weren't captured by demons and that we— And then I had to defend you and tell them you were a gentleman about it and that I wasn't going to let Riley and his men take you back to that place even if it meant I was a bad slayer and then I ran out," she finished in a rush.

"Bloody hell..." he barely whispered, then recovered his usual cockiness. "So, is this going to mean the only thing welcome at Scooby meetings now is gonna be my dust?"

"I dunno," she admitted. "I ran out before anybody could say anything." She peered at him sideways. "I think it'll be okay. Willow already thought her spell worked the first time, Giles is fair enough not to blame us, and—"

"And the boy is going to put a stake through my back the first time I turn it."

Buffy shrugged. "You'd think so – but Anya keeps saying he doesn't want you dust, so I guess we just have to hope she's right."

They had reached the gates of Restfield and paused there uncertainly.

"I've already done a patrol tonight, luv, but if you want to take a swing through..."

"Isn't this where you live?"

He blinked. "Is. Still working on making it more homey, but if you want to see where it is..."

"I... I think I should know where you live, don't you? In case I have to find you for some... some reason?"

"Sure, Slayer. Just in case. This way..."

They were walking across the grass, not following the paved drives, when Spike suddenly halted and cocked his head to listen. Without a word to Buffy, he tugged her behind a large clump of shrubbery and signaled her to be silent. She could just see his face in the moonlight, so when his eyes widened with shock and he yanked her to the ground, rolling over so that she was underneath him and his coat was covering them, she gave him the benefit of the doubt.

"Pull the collar up," he hissed in her ear. "Cover my hair as best you can and stay underneath me."

Buffy did as she was instructed, trying not to notice how good it felt to be pressed against him again. She was so busy telling herself she wasn't enjoying the position, or the way he was just touched her ear with his lips, that she almost didn't hear the voices until they were right beside them.

"Come on, Finn. Even if the hostile is still out here, and even if your supernatural girlfriend is still with him, it's time to call it a night. We'll get them some other time. It's a small town."

"Yeah, Riley. Anyway, you'll see her around the campus if she isn't smart enough to stay away now that she knows you know what she is. We can grab her then."

"Whatever a Slayer is, she's supposed to be fighting evil. I need to know what she's doing hanging out with hostiles – even neutralized ones. If half of what we read is true, she should have dusted him the first time she saw him."

"Well we're not finding a damn thing out here tonight. The only sign of life we've seen was a squirrel. I say let's pack it in." There were rustling sounds as equipment was put away.

"Fine, fine," Riley grumbled. "But you can explain to Maggie that we managed to lose both Buffy and Hostile 17 at the same time."

Their voices faded as the soldiers moved away and the sound of an engine starting soon followed. Buffy and Spike remained immobile until the vehicles were out of hearing range, even for Spike. As silence fell again, only the usual soft sounds of night in a cemetery came to their ears. Buffy relaxed and released the breath she'd unconsciously been holding. Which allowed her to notice that Spike was still lying on her and now nibbling on her ear.

"We... we should move," she gasped, even as she tilted her head to give him access to her neck.

"Don't want to," he whispered back, taking full advantage of her invitation to begin kissing his way down her neck and up to her mouth. "Don't ever want to."

"Don't say tha—"

His lips fastened on hers, cutting off her intended reply, but not before Spike understood what she was planning to say. He kept her busy with long, languorous kisses until he felt her relaxing under him and molding her body to his. When she was whimpering in the back of her throat, he rolled off to the side so he could start running his hands over her, sliding one hand into her jeans before she'd even noticed they weren't fastened any more. He kept his mouth on hers, swallowing any complaints as his fingers began massaging the little nub he found already damp with fluid. Within only a moment or two, he had brought her to a quivering release against his hand. Giving her one last lingering caress, he pulled his hand out and zipped her pants up before licking his fingers.

Buffy was lying, loose limbed and relaxed, eyes half closed as she sighed in contentment until she saw what he was doing.

"That's just gross," she said, her scolding completely negated by the sleepy smile she wore.

"Not gross," he said. "Just Buffy." He rolled onto his back and pulled her over on top him, brushing the grass and leaves off her back and combing them out of her hair. He smiled at her mumbled thank you, and hugged her tightly. "Can't have you going home all covered in leaves and whatnot, can we?"

She sighed again, this time in exasperation rather than contentment.

"I'm not sure I should go home – to the dorm or anywhere else they could get to me. And not until I know what they want me for." She pushed herself up and off his body, sitting on the ground beside him. "And it's really gonna spoil my dramatic exit if I go running back to Giles now."

Still lying on his back and gazing up at her, Spike gently pushed some hair out of her face.

"Could stay with me tonight," he said, his voice level and with no trace of the hope so visible in his eyes, even in the dim light of the moon. "Crypt isn't what I want it to be yet, but I've got a few amenities. Could get more if you tell me what you want."

"In a crypt?"

"It's more like a house – made of stone, in a cemetery, with very old, dusty dead bodies in big cement containers... Think of them as furniture."

She shrugged and stood up. "Can't be any worse than that scuzzy motel we were in..."

"Not worse. I promise." He kipped to his feet and cocked his head to listen and scent the air. "Seems safe, Slayer. Let's go." He took her hand and began to walk rapidly across the grass, moving too fast for her to pull her hand away. He didn't slow down until they were nearing a large mausoleum with a door and windows.

"Who puts windows in a crypt?" Buffy put her hands on her hips and watched as Spike pulled open a metal grill, then a heavy wood inner door. "Wow. It is almost like a house."

He held the door and gestured for her to come in, then closed the door, plunging the room into complete darkness. The windows were just visible as pale places in the wall.

"Wait here, luv." She could hear Spike's footsteps crossing the floor, the snick of his lighter, followed by the flare of a candle. He moved around the large stone room, lighting candles until she could see as well as he could. "Is that better?"

"Yes, thank you." Buffy moved into the room, gazing around in amazement. In just the week or so that Spike had been living there, he'd managed to find some old furniture, a beat-up TV and an even more beat-up refrigerator.

"'S not much yet, but things have been slow at the dump. Once I get some wires in here, and some rugs for the floor... There's another whole room down below. Access to the tunnels and sewers, more privacy..."

Ignoring the leer on his face, but blushing in spite of herself, she said, "Speaking of privacy, won't all this light attract attention?"

"Could, I reckon. I'll get some blackout curtains tomorrow night. Just in case..." He began walking around, pinching out candles until only one flickering light was left all the way in the back of the room. "Just wanted you to see it. So you could decide if you... I mean... it's not exactly... but I'm making it better..." His voice trailed off as he stopped in front of her. He touched her cheek and brushed his fingers down her jaw. "It's not what you deserve. I know that. But it's safe enough for tonight."

Buffy looked away, not wanting to meet his eyes when they were looking at her so softly. "It'll be fine," she said, pretending to be looking around for something. "Still beats that scuzzy motel."

"The motel had a bed and reasonably clean sheets," he pointed out. "All I've got to offer just now is a lumpy couch or the top of a stone coffin." He gestured at the sarcophagus in the center of the room. Buffy gave a shudder.

"I'll take the couch," she said, unable to stifle a yawn. "You're welcome to sleep on top of the old dead guy."

He laughed and moved away. "Not really ready to sleep yet, love. Got back onto vamp schedule while I was stayin' away from you, and I sleep when it's light out. But you'll have been up all day, so just make yourself comfortable. I'll be around, working downstairs or standing guard, or something."

Buffy frowned as she tried to find the least lumpy place on the couch, remembering how Spike had brought her off so easily and quickly, and without asking for anything in return. When he draped his coat over her, she peered up at him, trying to read his face in the dim light of the only candle.

"You're just going to let me sleep? You aren't go to...? You don't want to—"

He was on his knees beside her before she finished speaking.

"I do. You have no idea how much I do. Don't ever doubt it." He took her hand, looking at her questioningly for permission before placing it on the bulge in his jeans. "That's how I am around you all the time." He let her pull her hand back and tuck it under the coat. With a sigh he stood up again. "But you're not here for that; you're here to be safe. And I can see how tired you are."

"Is this another one of your tricky Spike-knows-how-to-be-a-gentleman things?"

He snorted and shook his head. "Just common sense, Slayer. Want you to feel safe, and that's not going to happen if I take advantage of the situation to coax you into something you may not want... yet."

Buffy gave her own snort at the "...yet". "So, what was that all about when we were hiding in the bushes?"

"Common sense goes walkabout when I'm that close to you. I'm not a bloody saint, and bringing you off is almost as good as..." He shrugged. "You already know I don't intend to give up. But I'll apologize for it if it makes you feel better."

"Actually, it made me feel pretty damn good," she said, pulling the coat over her head to hide her flaming face. "No apology necessary."

He roared with laughter, and she held her breath until she heard him move away, muttering, "Just when you think you know somebody..."


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

Daylight coming through the dirty windows cast a dim, but visible light into the room, waking Buffy who groaned as she stretched. With no idea what time it was, she remained on her uncomfortable bed and tried to remember the previous night's events.

_Patrolled and killed some vamps – so yay! Riley saw me doing it and also heard me say Spike was mine, so less with the yay. Told everybody I had sex with Spike for two days. Very not a yay. Overheard Riley and his men talk about grabbing me and taking me in with them – even more of a not yay. Let Spike give me a happy while we were rolling around in the bushes... Wow. Hard not to call that a yay, but... encouraging the vampire to think we're... Gah!_

With that thought, Buffy sat up and looked around the now dimly lit room. Without the flattering candlelight, the cast off furniture Spike had found looked even shabbier than it had the night before and Buffy had an uncomfortable moment in which she couldn't believe she was hiding out in a crypt, with Spike, never mind letting him— The sight of him, sound asleep and apparently naked under a red sheet on top of a stone sarcophagus interrupted that line of thought.

She tiptoed toward him, thinking when he was still, how much he looked like the corpse he was. When his chest rose up and down, just as a human's would when sleeping, she blinked and backed up, but he just rolled over, pulling the sheet with him and exposing most of his muscular back down to the curve of his ass. She noted that the dent from the missing flesh taken from him in the lab was already filled in and the scar over it was much less noticeable than it had been when he first showed it to her.

Before she thought about what she was doing, she had reached out and brushed her fingers over the scar, causing Spike to stiffen and flinch, then relax and roll back over to face her. With the sheet now barely covering his legs and lower torso, Buffy struggled for a safe place to look. The sleepy, amused, and very warm eyes looking at her didn't seem to be a good choice.

"Did you need something, love?" he asked.

"No. No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up. I was just—"

"Just couldn't keep your hands off my hot, little body?"

She laughed, blushing as she did so. "Hah! You wish!"

"You know I do, Buffy," he responded in a more serious tone as he sat up and pulled the sheet around his waist.

"I don't suppose you have a clock in here?" she said, avoiding his comment and looking around the room for one rather than look at his so tempting body.

"No. All I care about is sunrise and sunset. But if I had to guess, I'd say sun's been up for a couple of hours, so prob'ly about 7:30 or so."

Buffy sighed and stared around again. "There's no bathroom in a crypt, is there?"

"Not yet. You've got two choices, pet. The bushes outside the door, or I can take you down below and you can find your way to the sewer."

"Awesome..."

"Sorry, luv. If I'd known you were going to be spending the night here, I would have found a way to make it more comfortable for you."

"I'm not complaining," she said quickly. "It beats trying to find a place to hide by myself. But I do need to pee," she added, making a face. "Bushes in the daylight, or the sewers in the dark..."

"I'd go with the bushes, if I were you. No one's likely to be out and about this early in the morning. And not much traffic back here in this old part of the cemetery anyway."

"Fine. The bushes it is." She walked toward the door, looking over her shoulder. "Don't peek!"

The sound of his laughter followed her out the door, which she left just enough ajar that she could get back in easily. To the right of the door were some overgrown shrubs that Buffy could easily slip behind and take care of her bodily needs. She was quickly done, and emerged to gaze around in the daylight, taking note of the other nearby graves and crypts, as well as the unpaved drive a short distance away that seemed to meander in the direction of the main gate. Satisfied that she could find her way back when she needed to, she opened the door and slipped inside.

"I wonder why they never make the roads in cemeteries in straight lines?" she mused to herself as she pulled the door closed. She couldn't decide if she was disappointed or happy to find that Spike had put his jeans on while she was outside.

He stretched his arms over his head, giving her a view of his flexed biceps and flat abs as he pretended not to notice her. When he grinned at her muffled gasp, she blushed and threw a candle at his head. Catching it in one hand, he laughed as he set it on his bed. "Something wrong, pet?"

"You did that on purpose, you... you... showing off person!" she sputtered, glaring at him. "How would you like it if I did something like that to you, huh?"

"That would be entirely different, Slayer," he said, all laughter gone.

"How would it be different? If I was half-dressed and showing off my body, you'd call it... you'd call it what you called it before when I just wanted to snuggle."

"I probably would," he admitted. "Because it would be. If you were just waving it in my face and telling me I couldn't have it at the same time... that would be teasing. Taunting the demon with what he couldn't have."

"So what were _you_ doing?"

"Just showing you what was available. It's yours for the taking, Buffy. Any place, any time. I wasn't dangling something that's out of your reach, I'm just throwing out a lure and hoping you'll bite. Completely different thing."

Unable to think of a quick counter to his very logical explanation, she shook her head and gazed around again. "No phone either, huh?"

"I've only been here a little while. I'm working on things like electricity, running water, a real bed... but it takes time. Next time you're here, it'll be different, I promise." He pulled on a shirt and walked toward her. "What's the plan for today?"

She shrugged. "That's why I wanted a phone. I need to call Giles and see what he wants me to do. I should go to class, but if Riley and his guys are going to try to grab me..." She shrugged again and gave him a little smile that grew into a grin. "I guess I could let them try, couldn't I? That might be fun."

He smiled back at her and nodded, but said, "Much as I'd enjoy watching you teach them what a slayer really is, luv, even you can't fight guns and tasers."

She pouted. "I suppose not. But I'd really like to kick some soldier butt... possibly starting with my about-to-be-ex 'boyfriend'."

"Tell you what, Slayer. Why don't I take you through the sewers till we get close to your watcher's place?" He seemed to think for a moment, then said, "Better yet, we can go to the caretaker's house and you can call from there to see if it's safe."

"The caretaker's house? Somebody lives here? A human? How is he not a vamp?"

"He's a pretty savvy old guy. I've known him a long time. Since my first trip to Sunnydale. Got himself a little mojo on the house and makes damn sure he doesn't set foot out of it at night. He's going to help me get some electricity and what-not here."

"Nothing personal, but if he's so savvy, why is he helping you?" She smiled to soften her comment, but Spike nodded his agreement and smiled back.

"He had to get savvy the hard way... before I had my little operation, back when I was the master of Sunnydale, I had to stop a few minions from eating him. He was cutting it pretty close getting home, and they'd put up a road block so his car would be stopped too far away for him to make it on foot. He'd been right accommodating to me when I was searching for some things I needed, and he was on my untouchable list. Minions knew that, but they thought they could get away with disobeying me." His expression hardened. "They were wrong."

"So you saved his life. When you were still evil."

"His life was already safe – or was supposed to be anyway. First thing I did when the watcher cut me loose was go to old Jim and tell him I needed a place to live."

He shook himself. "Anyway, old news. Point is, he has a phone and I'm sure he'd be happy to let you use it. He knows who you are. Has probably seen you in action once or twice. Just let me gets my boots on and we'll go."

"Don't you want to sleep?"

"Can sleep later. After I know you're safely stowed away somewhere for the day."

"You make me sound like a piece of equipment," she muttered, following him to an opening in the floor that she hadn't noticed in the dark.

"Or something very valuable that I don't want anything to happen to," was his quiet response. "Let me go first so I can light some candles." He disappeared down the opening and soon flickering light was visible.

"I'm coming down now," Buffy said, approaching the opening with some trepidation. "How far down is it?"

"Not far. I can catch you if you'd like."

She peered over the edge at his hopeful face. "I can do it. Just give me some room." She finished speaking and pushed off from the edge, dropping gracefully to land in a crouch. Straightening up, much of the dirt floor was covered with rugs of various thicknesses and patterns; other rugs were rolled up against a wall that was draped in something that looked like old curtains. The uncovered walls were decorated with the roots of bushes and trees, and the occasional bone.

"Ew" Buffy pointed at one of the bones.

"Sorry, pet. I think there've been graves here for a long, long time. Crypt was built on top of the old graves. It's just a bone. Can't hurt you."

"I know that! But still... ew." She looked at the pieces of wood and the wrapped mattress leaning against the wall. "Is that...?"

"Will be. When I get it set up, it'll be a right decent bed. Not as nice as the one I had to leave behind when—but nice enough. Mattress is new. Bought it from demon friend whose wife didn't like the brand name."

"Wow. Demons buy beds. And have wives... that tell them what to do. Who knew?"

"Sunnydale is full of demons you never meet 'cause they aren't evil and aren't looking to have trouble with the Slayer." He cocked his head at her. "You know, you're the bogeyman to demon brats. Their parents threaten them with a visit from the Slayer if they aren't good."

"Huh. I'm not sure how I feel about that..." She was frowning as she followed Spike into a tunnel leading off from the room.

"Come on, Slayer. Let's get goin'. Need to catch Jim before he begins the day's chores."

She trailed Spike and the candle he was holding until he paused to light a torch. She could see water reflecting the light back to them and wrinkled her nose at the smell.

"Why don't you just hop on my back till we get to the house? I stay out of the water as much as I can, but sometimes..."

Buffy gave him dubious frown, but stepped closer. "Can you see in here?"

"Pretty well if I go into game face. Why?"

"Because I don't want my hair to catch fire from that torch," she said. "If you don't need it to get where we're going, why don't you leave it here?"

He nodded and reached past her to put it back in its holder. "Good idea, pet. Up you go then." He turned his back to her and bent over slightly. Buffy hopped up and put her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Too late, she realized that she was pressed up against him with nothing between them but a couple of layers of thin cloth.

"Comfy?" he asked, snaking his arms around so that he could hold her in place.

"Your hands are on my butt."

"Gotta support you, don't I?"

"Spike, I'm clinging like a monkey. I don't need support."

"Spoil sport," he grumbled, but obediently dropped his arms to his sides. "Here we go then."

He strode off with long ground-eating strides, only the occasional small splash marking places where the trail beside the water was too narrow. Buffy buried her nose in his neck, breathing in his scent rather than the smells permeating the air in the sewer.

"Are you sniffing me, or just avoiding the smell down here?"

"If I said both, would you take that the wrong way?"

"What's the right way to take it?"

"That I'm just smelling you because... well, not because I actually like the way you smell or anything. So don't go thinking that."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he said, his smile more than apparent in his voice.

"Liar."

"That I am, luv." He halted in a small alcove with a ladder going up to a grated opening. Just enough light came through to allow Buffy to see him turn his head in her direction, and she watched him fade back to his human face. "Time to get off, Slayer," he whispered, his lips only inches away from hers.

Buffy hesitated, then dropped her legs and slid down his back until she was standing behind him.

"I guess I should go up, huh? Are you sure he knows who I am?" Her hands were still resting lightly on his shoulders.

"I'm sure. Just go knock on the door and tell him you need to use his phone." He turned around and nudged her toward the ladder. "Up you go, Slayer."

Buffy stretched for the highest rung she could reach, giving a small "eep!" when she was suddenly able to reach all the way to the top. She grabbed the top rung and felt around with her feet until they were also resting on something solid. It only took one hand to move the metal grate to the side. She glanced down a Spike to see him shrinking against the wall, away from the sunlight now pouring into the tunnel.

"Oops! Sorry!" Buffy jumped up and out, quickly replacing the grate when she was safely on the ground. "Are you okay?"

""m fine, luv. Just go tell Rupert what's going on."

XXXX

Buffy approached the tidy little cottage and raised her hand to knock, only to have the door open for her. She blinked at the man staring back at her.

"Are you who I think you are?" he asked. "Why were you coming out of Spike's tunnel? Is he okay? You didn't stake him did you?"

"Uh...yes, I'm me? And no, I didn't. He brought me here. He said to ask you if I could use your phone – to call my watcher."

Jim peered over her shoulder at the now-covered manhole before nodding and holding the door open for her. "Come on in. I'll get it for you."

He was only gone a moment and came back to hand her a portable phone. Buffy smiled her thanks and quickly tapped in Giles's number. She giggled at his sleepy "Hello?"

"Hey, Giles. I think you need to get a job. You're getting too used to sleeping in."

"Buffy? Why are you calling me so early? Is there something wrong?"

Buffy quickly explained about what they'd heard after she left his apartment, and where she'd spent the night.

"You spent the night with Spike?"

"I spent the night on Spike's couch," she said, her tone making it clear it wasn't up for discussion. "That is not the issue here. The issue is, that Riley and his men want to catch me and take me to their – to Professor Walsh. Even if it's daytime and I'm at school."

"Then you must remain hidden for now," he said. "The Council is working through their contacts in this country's military to find out about this "Initiative" organization. But it will be some time before they get any information or results. In the meantime, we cannot afford to risk your capture and possible harm at their hands."

"You want me to hide in the sewers till the Council gets its act together? I don't think so! At least let me hide at your place. Where's there's food, and television, and a working bathroom."

"I don't believe it's safe here either. Although not for the same reasons—one moment."

Buffy listened impatiently as Giles went to the door and opened it. She gasped when she heard Riley's voice demanding that Giles tell him where Buffy was.

"I know she didn't go back to the dorm, and she isn't at her mother's"—Buffy's eyes grew wide than narrowed to angry slits. Jim backed away from his suddenly dangerous-looking guest—"Where is she? Is she here? Why don't I just take a look?"

Buffy could hear Giles sputtering about home invasions and being a British citizen as Riley clearly forced his way into the apartment.

"Excuse me," Giles said into the phone, his tone even and clipped. "My apologies for the interruption. I've had an unexpected guest arrive and will need to see to him. Perhaps we can chat about that job again later."

"I heard him," Buffy growled. "I'm going to come over there and kick his—"

"No. No. That's quite all right. If you'll give me an address or phone number, I'll get back to you when I'm free to arrange a meeting."

"I'm in Restfield. I'm calling from the caretaker's house. His name is Jim and he can show you where Spike lives. I'll stay here today, but if I don't hear from you..."

"Yes, that sounds fine. Thank you for being so understanding. I'll be in touch soon."

"Bring food. Spike doesn't have any."

"Yes. I understand. Good-bye then."

Buffy handed the phone back to Jim and gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry to pull you into this. If a stuffy British man comes by looking for Spike or me, would you please show him where the crypt is? Thanks!" She started out the door, pausing to add, "And if any soldiers, or big guys come looking for us – tell them there's nobody here but dead people!"


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

With a wave, she went out the door and ran to the manhole, yanking the cover off and scrambling down the ladder far enough to be able to pull it back on. She started to work her way down the ladder when she felt strong hands on her waist.

"Gotcha, Slayer. You can let go."

"Good thing I knew it was you," she said, releasing the ladder and letting him lower her to the damp floor. "I've been know to stake first and ask questions later when something grabs me in the dark."

"But you knew it was me," he murmured in her ear, sliding his hands all the way around her waist and pulling her back against his body. "Didn't you?" He nibbled on her neck, emboldened when she didn't try to get away.

"I knew," she whispered. "I always know." She turned around in his embrace and leaned back a little. She was just able to make out his face in the dim light from the grate overhead.

"Buffy..." The pleading note in his voice was matched by the expression on his face as he moved his head closer and brushed his lips over hers. He kept his touch light and undemanding until she went up on her toes, the better to kiss him back. His arms tightened and he deepened the kiss, drawing it out until she had to break for a gasp of air.

"We... we should go back... to your place. That's where I told Giles I'd be..."

Spike didn't reply, but began to kiss her again, which led to much heavier breathing and Buffy's legs wrapped around his waist – this time having nothing to do with being carried. After several minutes of futile, if pleasant, rubbing against each other, she tore her mouth away and pulled back to look at him.

"We really should go back. It's wet and yucky here."

"So?"

She just stared at him until his eyes lit up.

"Are you sayin' what I think you're saying?"

"All I'm saying is, it's wet and yucky here. Back in your crypt there are rugs... and don't you have a bed to put together?"

Without a verbal response other than what sounded very much like a hissed "Yessss", he pushed her around to his back and began running back the way they'd come. It took only a few minutes at vampire speed to reach the torch, still burning where the tunnel from his crypt met the sewer.

Buffy dropped to the ground almost before he stopped moving and began to walk toward the flickering light from the only candle still burning. Spike moved ahead of her and quickly dug out a few more candles and lit them, putting the room in a warm light that softened the look of the roots and bones sticking out of the walls.

"I hope Giles brings food. I'm starving," Buffy said, staring up the ladder and wondering what might be in the refrigerator; her other need to get back to the crypt was apparently forgotten for the moment.

"I'll go shopping for groceries tonight," Spike said, pulling the pieces of wood away from the wall and laying them down on the floor. "Where do you think it should go?"

Buffy turned back and surveyed the room. "Well, it's your bedroom, and your bed... but I think back in that alcove maybe?"

"Good as done," he said, tossing the bed pieces where she'd pointed. While Spike went about figuring out which pieces went to what, Buffy amused herself dragging the rugs around until she had arranged them in a pattern she liked.

"That either looks a lot better, or really bad... I'm not sure which."

"Doesn't matter what it looks like," Spike said, taking a glance over his shoulder. "Only matters that it doesn't feel like cold mud when we walk on it in bare feet."

"Are we planning to have bare feet?" Buffy's voice was teasing, but he gave her a frightened look anyway. When he noticed the smile she was trying to hide, he growled and went back to his work.

More growls followed as the bed pieces seemed reluctant to go together in the way they were supposed to. "If there are pieces missing, I'm gonna gut that demon and string his innards up in a tree."

Buffy wandered over and looked at the jumbled pile of wood. "Why don't you lay the pieces out on the floor where you think they should go? Then you'll be able to see if something's missing."

He stopped his growling and stared at the jumble of bed parts. "I would have thought of that sooner or later."

"Of course you would have," Buffy said in that understanding, but totally dishonest, tone used by amused women from time immemorial. "I was just helping you think of it." She patted his head and smiled as innocently as she could manage.

"Think you're smart, don't you?"

She sighed, her smile fading quickly. "I think I'm going to have to be. Smart, I mean. Riley showed up at Giles' while I was on the phone. He was looking for me! And he'd already been to the dorm and to my mom's—remind to kick his ass twice for that, please. My mother is off limits."

He raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"Not from you, moron. From bad guys who are trying to find me."

"Sometimes that _was_ me, luv," he said as he went back to work. "Wouldn't have harmed your mum, but I was there lookin' for you some of those times."

"Good thing for you, you didn't find me then. I would have kicked your butt too— I think that piece goes over there..."

"Or I would have bagged my third slayer," he growled, glaring at the offending piece of wood.

Buffy just snorted and walked closer. She picked up what was obviously a bed rail and placed it on the opposite side from where Spike had just placed the left rail. As she straightened up, she asked as casually as she could, "Do you really like my mom?"

He blinked in surprise. "You know I do, Buffy. She reminds me a bit of my mum. Why?"

"So, you would have been all right with killing me right in front of her? Would you have done that to her?"

He froze, the railing he'd been about to attach to the headboard halfway to the connection. He set it down and sank back on his heels.

"Honest answer?"

"That'd be nice."

He blew out a deep breath. "I've got no idea, luv. Wanted to kill you so bad... or thought I did, anyway. I don't know what I would have done if your mum was watching." When Buffy stiffened and walked away, he shook his head and sighed. "You asked for the truth, Slayer. I thought I wanted to kill you. It was what I did—fight slayers... and kill 'em if I could. And you—you were the one that foiled all my plans..." He shook his head. "I thought I really hated you." He paused and stared at her rigid back, before continuing, "Also thought you were the bravest and most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. And that the poof was crazy to not want you anymore just 'cause he lost his soul."

He got up and walked to her, putting a tentative hand on her shoulder. "I'm trying to be honest with you, Buffy. You'd have staked me in a heartbeat if you'd had a chance, wouldn't you? Probably thought you'd done for me when you dropped that organ on me and left me to burn. It's what we are, Slayer. Or what we were. I'd have felt like a right wanker if I'd killed you in front of your mum. Would never want to cause her that much pain. But I can't tell you I wouldn't have done it. It's not who I was then."

She turned around and stared at him sadly. " 'Then' was only a month ago. Who are you now? If you didn't have the chip, who would you be?"

"If I'd never got it? I don't know. I really don't. If I put any stock in Dru's visions, I think I'd probably be just where I am... Wanting you so bad I can't see straight. But it might have taken me a bit longer to figure it out." He tipped her chin up and made her see the honesty in his eyes. "But if I lost it now? Nothing would change. Except that I'd be able to help if you needed backup up against humans."

When she didn't respond, he sighed, dropped his hand, and turned back to his task.

"Why don't you go upstairs and watch for old Rupert? I'll just finish this up and join you in a bit."

Buffy stood, immobile, watching him as he struggled to fit the rail into both ends at the same time. She bit her lip, then walked over and grabbed the headboard, holding it steady while he set the rail in place. With both of them working, the bed was soon put together and ready for the mattress. Still without speaking, they each took a side and carried the bulky package over to the bed. While Buffy held it up, Spike ripped the paper off, tossing it onto the floor.

Once the mattress was in place, Spike picked up a package of black sheets and frowned. "It says these should be washed first. Seems bloody stupid, if you ask me."

Buffy laughed. "The dye comes off on everything that touches it until they've been washed at least once. We—you'll—be black all over if you try to sleep on these."

"Are you sure?" He looked disappointed.

Buffy grimaced. "I'm sure. Just don't ask me how I know..."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Funny story?"

"Funny... embarrassing... Nothing you need to hear."

Buffy took the sheets and tossed them onto a small table near the ladder. "I'll take them with me when I get out of here. Maybe mom will wash them for you." She frowned and looked over at him again. "Come to think of it, it's probably a better idea if you ask her to wash them than if I do. The less my mom knows about you, me and beds, the better."

"Good point. Don't want her digging out that axe again." He patted the bed beside him. "We don't really need sheets, do we?"

"I thought you wanted me to go upstairs and watch for Giles?"

Spike shrugged and looked away. "Wasn't sure you wanted to be around me just then. Thought I'd give you a way out, is all. If that's not the case..." He patted the bed once again and turned a hopeful smile on her. But when she didn't move or smile back, he sighed heavily. "My mouth got me into trouble again, didn't it?"

Buffy shook her head. "No. Not really. You were being honest and... and that's a nice quality in a..." She trailed off and stared at him. "I don't know what to call you."

"Spike? William? I'll answer to either one."

"Very funny. You know what I mean. What are you—we? We're not enemies any more. But we're not really... but we did... and we... I guess we probably will again. So that makes us sort of friends? Except I don't sleep with my friends..."

He sat up and put his feet on the floor. "You were doing fine when you got to the 'probably will again', but sounds like that idea is fading fast."

Before she could respond, he held up a hand for silence, then flowed to his feet and was up the ladder with Buffy right behind him. He growled at her to stay behind, but she just glared back and shook her head. Muttering under his breath about 'stupid bints what don't know how to hide', he opened the door just enough to see who was there without getting hit by the ray of sunlight shining into the dusty floor.

Jim was standing outside, looking around nervously. "I have a message for you and for the Slayer. Is she still here?"

"I'm here." Buffy stepped in front of Spike. "A message from who?"

"The man you called. He called back and asked me to tell you to stay here. He said he couldn't come right now, but he would drive by the gates later and drop off some food for me to pick up for you. He said you two should come back—'the safe way' whatever that means—tonight. Unless he tells you it still isn't safe. Something about thinking his apartment's being watched? Anyway, I'll pick up your food when I take the trash out later. If I think somebody's watching, I'll take it into my house and you'll have to come and get it after dark. But I don't know why anybody would watch me." He peered over her shoulder at Spike. "Do these people know where you live?"

Spike shook his head. "Don't know how they could. If they'd seen me coming in and out of here, they would have already bagged me again."

"Okay. It should be fine then. Give us a couple of hours and then listen for my knock." He stared at Buffy. "I'll bet if you lived here all the time, I could come and go at night without having to worry about vampires."

Buffy smiled at him. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. But I promise to make this a regular part of my patrols."

"I'll keep it swept clean," Spike added. "They'll learn bloody fast not to play in my backyard."

Jim nodded and turned away, getting on the lawn tractor he'd used to get around the big cemetery. Spike, reaching first for the metal exterior gate, pulled it closed, then shut the heavy wooden interior door.

"So there you have, Slayer. Orders are to stay here all day. Whatever will we do?"


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Spike's attempt to appear casual as he asked the question was belied by the gleam in his eye. Buffy shook her head and laughed.

"I don't know, Spike. What do you _wanna_ do?" she said in a sing-song voice.

"I don't know, what do _you_ wanna do, Slayer?" he sing-songed back at her, walking toward her and licking his lips.

"I dunno, what do _you _wanna do?" Buffy moved toward him, hips swaying and a small smile on her face.

"What do _you_ wanna do?"

As they exchanged rhetorical questions, they were getting closer and closer together, ending up almost touching as Buffy whispered, "I don't know. What do you—" Spike's response, before she could finish, was to fasten his mouth on hers and resume the bone-melting kisses that had earlier sent them hastening back to crypt.

In spite of his obvious need, which Buffy couldn't miss as it pushed against her hip, Spike seemed content to allow her to set the pace, kissing her into silence every time she tried to say something. Only when his hands slid under her shirt was she able to tear her mouth away long enough to speak. As soon as she broke the kiss, he froze, the hand that had been stroking her skin no longer moving and the one on her bra snatched away. "I wa—" was as far as she got before he was kissing her again. This time, she gave him a little shove when she tore her mouth away – after more kissing – and before he could pull her in again she said, "What's wrong with you? Do you think if you keep kissing me, it'll stop me from saying no?"

He sighed and looked away. "I dunno. Maybe? Seems like that's usually what we're doing when you... and then when we aren't, you don't..."

Buffy touched his cheek, smiling at him when he turned his eyes back to hers. "You're a very, very good kisser. But if I wasn't already thinking about... which I was... am... we wouldn't be kissing in the first place. So it's perfectly safe to let me breathe once in a while. I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?" he said, his face brightening. "And just so you know, I love kissin' you. Would do it anyway, if that's what you wanted. I'd do it even if that was _all_ you wanted—" He stopped, panic lurking in his eyes. "It isn't is it? I mean, it's fine if it is, but—"

"How can one vampire be so cocky and so insecure at the same time?" She stepped closer and put her arms around his neck, whispering the words into his ear.

"It's a gift," he mumbled into the soft skin of her throat as he tightened his embrace once more.

"How about if we grab the sheets off your dead-guy's bed there and take them downstairs with us?"

"I'm on it."

He released her with one more lingering kiss, keeping one hand in his so he could pull her in for more quick kisses until her impatient "Really, Spike?" made it clear that he wasn't moving as quickly as he could.

"Sorry. I just can't believe you want... and then I want to... but it's entirely up to you, and—"

Buffy yanked her hand away from him and grabbed the sheets off the sarcophagus, muttering to herself as she walked toward the entrance to his bedroom.

"Right then. Shut up, Spike." He hurried to get in front of her. "Let me go down first. You can throw those down to me. I don't want you to fall." He disappeared down the open hole, making no sound when he landed on the soft rugs below. "Okay, Slayer. Just drop them down here."

She threw the wadded up bedding down to him, then made her way down the makeshift ladder. Several of the candles had guttered out while they were above ground, leaving the area unlit except for the flickering of the two remaining candles. Spike had tossed the sheets onto the mattress and yanked them into some sort of order, but quickly left them to join her.

"Are you going to start kissing me again?" Buffy asked, raising one eyebrow at him.

"Could if you wanted me to," he replied, brushing a finger over her lips. "But I was thinking more about getting you naked and _then _kissing you—all over."

"That sounds like a plan..." She stepped into his arms and raised her face for a kiss anyway. "Just one more..." The one more led to another one, and Buffy soon lost track of how many kisses there had been, just barely registering that Spike had picked her up and walked backwards with her to the bed. He fell backwards, and Buffy let her legs slide open as she sprawled on top of him.

This time, there was no interruption as Spike's hands quickly unfastened her bra. He slide them around to the front, to find Buffy already sitting up and removing her shirt and loose bra. He stared at her for a few seconds, barely breathing as he said, "Just as perfect as I remembered..." Her hands tugging on his tee-shirt had him sitting up far enough for her to skin it over his head. He moaned when she dropped down on him again and began kissing his bare chest and licking his nipples. When she grabbed one nipple in her teeth and bit down, he growled his pleasure.

"Didn't know you'd remember that," he gasped as she switched her attention to the other one.

"Just 'cause it was a spell, doesn't mean I don't remember it," she said, lifting her head up. "I know you like that."

"You know what else I like?" Without waiting for an answer, he rolled her off and began to unbutton her jeans. His mouth followed his hands as he pushed them down far enough for Buffy to hook her toes on one leg and push them the rest of the way off. When he used his fangs to bite through her bikini panties, she pushed her hips up.

"I'm not sure I remember," she gasped. "Maybe you can remind me..."

"My pleasure, love. You just lie back and enjoy."

When Buffy had arched up off the bed at least three times, and was lying loose-limbed and humming with contentment, he kissed his way up to her neck and began to suck on it.

"I think I can safely say I enjoyed... so much I might just fall asleep," she murmured, completely unbothered by the fact that William the Bloody was sucking just over her jugular. His only response was a soft chuckle as he continued to pull the blood to the surface. For several minutes the only sound in the room was Spike's soft sucking and Buffy's contented hum. "You're giving me the world's worst hickey, aren't you?" she said finally, with no trace of anger.

"I'm giving you the world's _best _hickey," he corrected, taking his mouth off her neck to speak. "This love bite will be the envy of everybody." He rolled over just far enough to be able to admire his handiwork.

"You'll be dust in a pan if Giles or Xander sees it," she said, turning just her head to glare at him. "I'm going to have to wear turtlenecks for a while."

"Does it matter who sees it?" he asked carefully, the effort he'd put into sounding casual perfectly obvious by his sudden stillness as he waited for her answer.

Buffy sighed and rolled over to face him. She put one hand on his cheek and stroked it. "It might," she admitted. "I kinda thought we'd work our way up to PDAs – you know, a little bit at a time? Give everybody time to get used to the idea that we... we're... Crap. I still don't know what to call us."

" Jus' 'us' works for me," he said, dropping a kiss on her shoulder. "Do we have to have a label?" He continued kissing his way off her shoulder and down her arm. "Can't we just be 'us'?"

"I'm not sure how that's going to work. 'Hi, Mom. This is Spike and he's my...us'?"

"Your mum already knows who I am. It's not like you're going to have to introduce me. And she's not stupid. She'll figure it out."

"Okay," she pulled her arm away and sat up. "That wasn't a good example. We'll worry about it later. Right now..." She reached down and gave his cock a squeeze, smiling at the way his eyes rolled back in his head. "I'm remembering some of the other things you like," she said, beginning to pull on it the way he'd shown her to when they were under Willow's spell.

Even though their activities those two days had been spell-induced, the sensations they felt and the things they'd learned about each other's bodies had been perfectly real. And neither of them had forgotten anything. They slid into a comfortable give and take as if they'd been making love together for years, sharing the pleasure in equal measure as they reacquainted themselves with each other's body and its erogenous zones.

Buffy was straddling Spike, enjoying the way he felt inside her, but taking a break from their very vigorous pursuit of yet more and stronger orgasms. As she sat there, perfectly comfortable at their nudity and their intimate connection, she toyed with his nipples, giggling at his growls when she pinched them.

"You know you like that. Why are you growling at me? Is that some vampire thing?"

"I growl when I'm turned on, you should know that by now, Slayer."

"I have a name," she said, suddenly serious. "Slayer is _what_ I am, not who I am."

"It's just what I've always called you. What's wrong with it?" He frowned at her, putting his hands on her hips in case she was planning to move away.

"What's wrong with it, is I have a real name. And it isn't Slayer or pet or luv or—"

He interrupted by pulling her down to lie on his chest. "I know that, Buffy." He stroked her head and back as he nuzzled her neck. "If that's what you want me to call you, all you had to do was say so." He expelled a deep breath and pushed her back up so he could see her expression. "But just so you know, "love" is always going to be what I'm thinking."

Buffy looked away from his intense eyes. "You call everybody luv," she muttered.

He sighed when she wouldn't meet his gaze. "I call other women pet or luv, yeah, I do. It's a habit. And easier than remembering names sometimes."

"So you call me Slayer or luv because you can't remember my name?" The glare Buffy turned on him should have set him on fire.

"Oh for—" His own always quick anger rose to meet hers. "I'm telling you, you stupid bint, that I call you "love" — not "luv" — because that's how I feel about you. But if you don't like it, you can be sure I won't do it any more!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

The completely ludicrous position in which they found themselves, Buffy still straddling Spike, his still-hard cock inside her, while they exchanged angry words and glares hit them both at the same time. Just as when they'd recovered from the original spell and were blaming each other for their lack of intact clothing, the humor of the situation overcame the anger, and Spike began to snort and Buffy began to giggle. In only a few seconds, they were doubled over, laughing so hard they fell apart. They lay, side-by-side, gasping for breath (unneeded in Spike's case, if he were honest) and occasionally huffing another burst of soft laughter. Spike touched the hand beside his, linking their fingers and, when she didn't object to the contact, lifting it to his lips and kissing her knuckles.

"I'm sorry, lo—Buffy. I'm not a complete git, and I do understand what you're sayin'. How you could think I'm treating this gift casually, I don't know, but if that's the impression I gave you..."

She gave her own deep sigh. "I'm being all insecure Buffy. It's just... Slayer is what you called me when you were trying to kill me – or luv, or pet, or cutie, or some other sexist nickname that wasn't really me, and I... Never mind. I'm being stupid."

"No you're not. You're being a woman who hasn't been treated with the respect she deserves. And you have my deepest apologies for that. I have been inconsiderate and disrespectful to you, and you have every right to—"

Buffy put her fingers across his lips. "You know, that sounds way too much like Giles talking... which really creeps me out. But maybe it's William? Is that how you talked when you were human? I think we need to have a talk about what you were like then. Tell me about William."

He wrapped his lips around her fingers and began to nibble them. "No, we don't need to have a talk. William was a spineless git who you wouldn't have given the time of day to. That's all you need to know about him."

"So, he wouldn't be able to help me with my class on Shakespeare? Or the poetry class I have to take next semester? Or the world history class I hardly ever get up in time to get to?"

Spike sighed. "If I admitted he could, I _would_ have to kill you after..."

She giggled. "What if I promise not to tell? I'll just pretend I suddenly had time to study really, really hard. Nobody needs to know that William the Bloody is tutoring me in my Literature classes."

"William used to get paid to tutor spoiled bints who were too lazy to study. What have you got to offer him, hmmmm?" He rolled to his side and threw one leg across hers.

"I'm pretty sure I can think of something..." She pulled him on top of her and let her legs fall open. "Don't you?"

Spike's response was a guttural growl as he responded to her inviting position by sliding into her and nibbling the skin on her neck again. Buffy locked her legs around his hips and pulled him in even closer. As they began to rock together, she gasped, "So, what do you think? Would William turn down this offer?"

"Even William wasn't that stupid," he murmured, lifting his head to look down at her. "I'm guessing he'd even try to slip into class and take the tests for you if he could."

"Can't do that," Buffy struggled to continue the conversation while he distracted her by moving his hips in ways that sent shocks running through her system. "But I do have to write a lot of papers... Oh!" Her gasp that rapidly turned to frantic whimpers put an end to the topic as she let Spike bring her to another bone-melting orgasm. Only slayer stamina and coordination kept her moving long enough to ensure he got his own shouted release.

He lay on her, his lips once again on her neck, although he wasn't sucking this time, but just moving them around in light kisses.

"You'll tell me if I'm too heavy, won't you?" he murmured into her skin.

"You're fine," she said, tightening her arms around him. "I... I kind of like this."

"Good thing," he responded. "'Cause it's become my favorite place to be. Could stay here forever."

"Okay, forever could be a problem..." As she spoke, Buffy's stomach growled, reminding them both that she'd had nothing to eat since the previous night.

"Ah. I reckon that's my cue to move, yeah? We've been down here a while. Who knows, Jim may even be back with your food by now. Much as I hate to move..." He pushed himself up with his arms and gazed down at her, which pushed their hips together even more. His eyes rolled back. "Then again..."

Buffy felt him twitch inside her and gave a squeeze before she said, "Tempting as that is, I need to pee again. And, I'm starving."

He sighed, and with obvious reluctance, lifted himself up and off, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Right you are, lo—Buffy. Bodily needs come before other... bodily needs."

She giggled and sat up, looking around for her clothes. "I can't go out into the bushes now. It's afternoon, isn't it? There might be people around."

"Go ahead and get dressed, lo—Buffy. I'll fix something up down by the sewer." She cocked her head at him and grimaced.

"Okay. What I said about all the nicknames? It's going to be even more annoying if you have to stop yourself all the time." She bit her lip. "I appreciate that you're trying to do what I want, but I was just being... I don't know. A pain in the butt? How about you just don't call me 'Slayer' when we're... you know. Doing something a vampire and a slayer probably shouldn't be doing? Can I just be a girl called Buffy then?"

"You can be whatever you bloody want to, sweetheart. Just tell me what it is." He glanced back at her while he zipped up his jeans.

"I want... Okay, it's dumb. Never min—"

He was in front of her before she finished speaking, tipping her face up to his.

"Nothing you want me to do or say is 'dumb'. I'm yours to command. Just tell me what you want."

"I don't want to be 'Slayer' when we're in bed," she said firmly. "And I don't want to be pet or luv or any other of those names you use for random girls whose names you can't remember. I want to be... special." She raised a hand before he could say anything. "Special because I'm me. Buffy. Not because I'm the Slayer."

When he didn't say anything, she pulled her chin away and went back to putting on her clothes. "So, you don't think you can do that? You can't want me if I'm not the Slayer?"

Once again, he was in front of her.

"If you'd asked me that a month ago, I'm not sure what I would have said. Didn't know Buffy very well, did I? I knew the Slayer – knew she was beautiful and brave and magnificent when she fights, and that she had love to spare for her friends and family. And if I'm honest, the fact that she could match me strength for strength and stamina for stamina, was a pretty amazing and wonderful thing to learn about her when I had the chance."

"Like I said – you only want the Slayer."

"Let me finish, love. And don't turn away, I know you can bloody well hear the difference," he growled when she stiffened at the word. "I'm no happier about Red's little power trip than the watcher is, but I'm grateful for the time she gave me to learn, not just that the Slayer was an incredibly passionate woman, but that Buffy could be sweet and funny and affectionate. I don't think that was all the spell. When we thought we were getting married, I got a chance to see who Buffy is when she's in love, and you got a taste of William. And I've had a lot longer now to learn all about Buffy – including what brasses her off... which is usually my mouth."

He stroked her arm. "She's a pretty amazing woman. And she'd still be a pretty amazing woman if she wasn't the Slayer. All it takes for me to know that, is knowing your mum. If you weren't the Slayer, I'd still think you were worth havin'. But I can't separate that amazing woman you could have been from the one you are, because what you are has made you who you are. Just like the demon in me has made me who I am. We can't change those things, Buffy. Do you really want to?"

Buffy sighed and rolled her eyes. "No. Not usually. But sometimes I... it would be nice to feel... normal. You know? I mean, until I found out Riley was some secret super ninja, I thought I had a nice normal boyfriend. And since he didn't know I was the slayer, I knew he liked me for me. And now—"

"I like you for you, Buffy. Don't ever doubt that. But I lo-like all of you. The woman and the Slayer. I suspect not many "normal" men could say that."

She peered up at him and made a face. "I _hate_ it when you're right."

He laughed and kissed her on the nose. "Wouldn't worry about it much. Doubt it'll happen very often."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Buffy giggled and went back to putting her clothes on while Spike disappeared into the tunnel. By the time he came back, she was dressed and was trying to comb her hair with her fingers. He waved his hand at her, and she followed him into the tunnel toward the light of the still flickering torch. When they reached the junction with the sewers, she saw that Spike had put two old boards across the water and he gestured to them.

"Best I can do right now, love. I'll work on something more elegant and private this week, but at least for now..."

"It's fine. Thanks." She waited, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Oh. Right. Go away, Spike. Got it. Sorry." He grinned at her and walked back to his bedroom. Buffy waited until he was just a shadow against the dim light at the end of the tunnel, then quickly straddled the boards and took care of her bladder. As soon as she was done, she stepped back onto the packed dirt and pulled her jeans the rest of the way up. She was fastening them as she walked back toward the now-empty bedroom, wondering where Spike was.

A scraping sound from above caught her ear, and she went up the ladder, hesitating just before the top and peeking over the rim to see who was there. When she saw Giles standing in the middle of the crypt and holding a grocery store bag as well as a bag from McDonalds, she squealed and jumped from the rung of the ladder all the way to the floor.

"Ah, there you are, I was beginning to worry." Giles looked very relieved to find that he was not alone in a crypt with a vampire, and Buffy smirked at him as she grabbed the bag of food. She was stuffing her mouth with a Big Mac as she quizzed him about how he got rid of Riley.

"He received some sort of emergency message and ran out speaking into his communicator about containment and weapons, so I've assumed they are too busy at something just now to worry about me. I drove into the cemetery and the caretaker showed me how to get here."

"Is your car parked outside?" Spike looked like he was planning to throw Giles back out, headache or not.

"I am not that stupid," Giles said, an offended expression on his face. "My car is hidden in an old storage shed – the same one yours is."

"Oh. Alright then." He watched Buffy inhaling the food Giles had brought. "Looks like I should be grateful the Slay-Buffy didn't start chewing on the furniture."

"I _told_ you I was starving," she mumbled around a mouthful of fries. She swallowed and turned to Giles.

"So if Riley and his guys are busy somewhere, does that mean I can come out of hiding?" She sent Spike an apologetic smile as she said, "It's really kinda... boring here. No TV, no lights except candles, no shower, no food, no—"

"I think he's got the picture, Slayer." Spike made no attempt to apologize to her for using her title instead of her name, and she realized that her smile hadn't been enough to take the sting out of her words.

_Note to self, if Spike calls me slayer, he's probably mad at me._

"I'm sure this has been quite an imposition upon Spike as well as you," Giles said, staring back and forth between them. "However, until we know what's going on, I think we have to assume—" They all froze at the sound of a knock on the door.

"Did you...?"

"Only Willow. But she doesn't know where Spike lives, does she?"

Spike shook his head and gestured for them to get out of sight as he walked toward the door. On the way, he grabbed a sword from the wall and held it behind his back. When he felt Buffy behind him, he snarled at her, but she shook her head and pointed to the door, stepping against the wall where she would be invisible to anyone on the other side.

Spike opened the door just far enough to peer out without exposing himself to the sun, now directly overhead. He blinked at who was standing there.

"What are you doing here, Red? Don't recall sending for magic take-out."

"I'm looking for Buffy. Riley needs to talk to her really badly, and I know—"

Willow was cut off as Riley shouldered his way past her and pushed the door open. Buffy's muffled shout from behind it was followed by her shove back, smashing his head between the door and the jamb. While Riley tried to recover, Spike brought the sword up and pointed it at his throat.

"Don't know how you got the witch to bring you here, but you've made a big mistake. I'll let my head explode before I allow you take Buffy into that torture chamber."

He pushed the point of the sword against Riley's neck, wincing when the chip reminded him of what would happen if he actually drew blood. Buffy stepped from behind the door and, casting a disappointed look at Willow, said, "Don't hurt yourself killing him, Spike... Let me do it." She glared at Riley, hands on hips. "You've got one minute to give me a reason not to make you very sorry you found me..." Her brow wrinkled even more. "How _did _you find us—me?"

Riley held up his hands in the universal sign for peace. He never took his eyes off Spike as he said, "We had a tracer on Giles' car, and another one on his coat. Put it on there this morning." He shifted his gaze to Buffy for a second, then back to the growling vampire. "I'm not here to take you anywhere, Buffy. I'm here to ask for help."

Buffy rested one hand on Spike's back. "Put the sword down before you get a headache, Spike. Let's hear him out."

"Do I want to know why a hostile is acting like he has a right to say what happens to you?" Riley asked, stiffening his shoulders and standing up straighter.

"Do I want to know why you were planning to capture me and take me to that crazy woman you work for?" Buffy challenged right back.

The two formerly on-their-way-to-being-a-couple people stared at each other, Riley dropping his gaze first. He sighed, relaxing when Spike dropped the sword from his neck and moved behind Buffy instead of in front of her. Giles had been searching his coat for the tracer, finding and ripping it off to the accompaniment of much cursing. He walked over and held it out.

"I presume this belongs to you?"

"Yes." Riley took the button and dropped it in his pocket. "I'm sorry about all this, but it's an emergency, and we've been told that Buffy can handle it."

"Told? By whom?"

"We... uh... it looks like Maggie's work wasn't totally sanctioned by the Army brass or the Department of Defense. We've been told to stand down, and also that we're to ask _Buffy _for help." His expression showed how unlikely he thought it was that she was going to be of use to them.

"What do you need help with if you're shutting down? I can just go back to staking vamps and slaying demons when I catch them doing evil stuff. We should have at least a month or so before apocalypse time."

Riley blinked at that calm remark, but continued, "Well, it seems like we have a... problem. Maggie is... um... er... I guess she's dead. She was working on some kind of super-soldier, and it... woke up... and stabbed her. And now she's kind of a... cyborg. Like him, only less dangerous."

"And how this is this Buffy's problem?"

"Why should the Slayer care about your problems?"

Giles and Spike spoke at the same time, earning identical glares from Buffy.

"Would you two like to butt out for a minute, so I can find out what's going on?"

"The wanker told us what's going on. His sadistic boss got herself killed by one of her Frankenstein experiments. Got nothing to do with us or you."

Buffy sighed and pointed to the kitchen area. "You two, over there. Talk to each other in British or something. You," she pointed to Riley, "sit down on that chair and tell me what all this has to do with me and who told you I had to do something about it."

As Riley reluctantly sat, and Giles and Spike moved a short distance away, Buffy turned her gaze on Willow, who was standing in the open doorway looking miserable.

"I guess you'd better come in too," Buffy said with a complete lack of warmth. "Close the door, please."

XXXXXXX

Willow stepped into the room and stood uncertainly for a moment. When Giles gestured to her, she bit her lip but obediently joined him and Spike.

"What were you thinking?" Giles said without preamble. "I thought we could trust you."

Willow looked uncomfortable for a second, then stood up a little straighter. "I was thinking that from what I saw when I hacked into their system Riley really did need some help. And with Professor Walsh... gone... nobody was going to be after Buffy for anything but help with a big bad." She glanced over to where Buffy was glaring at Riley and tapping her foot impatiently. "I didn't know he was following you, Giles, until he asked me to come with him. I just told him Buffy was hiding out with Spike and you knew where they were."

"And now he knows. And so do all his mates..."

"I don't think so. I mean, if I got the gist of it, he doesn't have a lot of buddies left. They barely got out of the lab alive. I don't think he even cares about you anymore, Spike... well, except for the whole Buffy-seems-to-like-you-too-much guy stuff..."

"None of his bloody business."

"Well, he is... was... her boyfriend until his boss decided she needed to... Okay. You're right. None of his business. I guess he blew that relationship when he picked his boss over Buffy."

Giles spoke up. "And now he wants her help. I detect the Council's long arm in this decision. Clearly they have reached out to their contacts in the US Government and convinced them they had someone here who is an expert in handling demons."

"Doesn't sound like she's gonna be facing a demon," Spike said. "More like a robot."

"Buffy's killed a robot before," Willow said helpfully. "Remember, Giles?"

"Indeed. She almost went to jail before he was revealed to be non-human."

"Doesn't sound much like something she should be taking on by herself," Spike said, waving a hand to silence Giles and Willow. He listened intently as Riley explained to Buffy what they knew about Adam and what he could do.

"So, he's run by some kind of thing in his chest?"

Riley nodded. "Yes, and as long as it keeps running, he is almost invulnerable. He never tires, never sleeps, can't be hurt..."

Buffy nodded. "And he's not human?"

"No. We've found Maggie's schematics – it's the only reason we know anything about him. He's made up mostly from demon parts and mechanical stuff. Very little human. Only what was necessary to make him able to walk and talk like one. Has a computer for a brain. Whatever personality he's got, I'd say it's more demon than anything else."

"Did you hear that, Spike?" Buffy turned to look at him. He nodded and began walking toward her.

"Sounds like one of us gets to rip that power source right out of his chest." He bared his teeth at Riley. "Been a long time since I got to rip a heart out of someone's chest. Looking forward to it."

"Hey! I'm the apocalypse stopper here," Buffy complained. "I get to the heart—power pack—ripping. You're back-up!"

"Spoil Sport."

"Glory hound."

"Oh. Dear. Lord." Giles watch the exchange between Buffy and Spike with growing dismay.

"Told you so," Willow said. "They've done it again. And there's no spell making them like each other this time."

"Your spell is what started it," Giles said, turning his glare on her. "And your second spell just cemented the connection. This is another example of unintended consequences of using magic carelessly."

"She could do worse than have Spike as her back-up chest-ripper," Willow snapped back. "And she wouldn't have that without my spell."

Giles sighed. "Also an unintended consequence, and one no one could have foreseen." They stood in stubborn silence for a moment before Giles continued. "I know you don't believe this, Willow, but I have no desire to remove what is obviously your natural gift for magic. Not on a permanent basis. I am concerned for your long-term happiness and for your... soul... for lack of a better word. I'm worried that you will dip into things that could change you forever... in ways none of us would enjoy, including you."

"Buffy needs me to be able to do magic," Willow said, arms folded across her chest. "It's not fair of you to keep me from doing it."

"Buffy needs to be able to count on you to be on her side," he corrected. "And that did not prove to be the case the last time you used your magic."

"But I learned from that, Giles! I would never do something like that again." She stared at him, tears in her eyes. "I want my magic back."

"Willow, I am not really in control of that. Your natural power will return a bit at a time. I would surprised if it were not already building up in your body. What I drained from you is replaceable – unless the coven has some reason to feel you are too potentially dangerous to be allowed that kind of power. Hence my desire to get you some basic training in the appropriate uses of magic and the dangers to be avoided. You have the potential to be a very powerful force on the side of good, but we have to know that you can be trusted not to be seduced by your power."

"Afraid I'm going to turn to the Dark Side, Giles?" Willow said with a sad smile.

"It happens. You've already shown a willingness to let your anger at people you care about — people who were only trying to help you — overwhelm any normal hesitation to use your magic against them—us."

"I was hurting! And nobody cared!"

"The first time you were. And I have apologized for our lack of empathy. As I recall, Xander and I spent quite some — again spell-induced — time apologizing for our shortcomings. Apologies that became less and less sincere as it became clear that you were enjoying our discomfort."

"Buffy never apologized," Willow mumbled.

"Buffy spent that time trapped in a magic-provoked sexual encounter with a notorious slayer-killing vampire. I suspect by the time she found you trying to create more such spells, she was not feeling terribly sorry for you."

"She shouldn't have interfered."

"Which brings us to your second set of spells. The ones you cast, even after having seen the unintended consequences of the first one. You deliberately spelled your "best friend" so as to send her right back to the bed... so to speak... of that very same vampire."

"Nothing happened. I forgot to put the spell on Spike." Willow's confident expression gradually wilted as she read Giles's face. He waited, gazing at her with sad satisfaction until she understood what she'd just said.

"I forgot to put the spell on Spike. I didn't finish it," she whispered. "I screwed up."

"In that instance, it was a fortuitous error. Spike showed admirable restraint for a demon. Had it been any other vampire, Buffy would have been in serious danger... again. And you would have once again, used your power to bring harm to someone you call a friend."

"I don't think he would hurt her. Look at them." Willow's voice held a pleading note.

"You could not know that then. Nor did you care. Had he not been as self-restrained as he apparently was, he could have raped Buffy at will. Because of your spell." Rather than pursue the point, and bring up his own time spent as his much younger and more dangerous self, he left her to consider her actions.

He walked over to where Riley was staring, clearly appalled, as Buffy and Spike semi-seriously argued over who was going to tear Adam's "heart" from his chest. Giles smothered a smile and allowed himself a moment to appreciate what a much better match Spike was for a slayer than a human man who could not imagine the things she'd had to do in her short life. Although he did his best to shake off that insane thought, the gaze he fixed on Spike was more thoughtful than not as he joined them.

"So. Is there a plan of attack? Tearing its power source out is all well and good, but you will need to be able to reach him to do it."

Buffy cast a glance over at Willow, who was staring at her with a miserable expression on her face.

"I think I have a plan," Buffy said, sending Willow a tentative smile. "Let me work on it for a few minutes."


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

Leaving Riley, Spike, and Giles to exchange suspicious glares, Buffy crossed the room to where Willow had been watching them.

"So, you heard?"

"Most of it. Big mechanical monster, can't be killed, blah blah."

"Yeah. So, I don't think killing him will be a problem for us, but we're going to need a little assistance to get close to him. Are you up for it?"

"You want me to help? I thought you didn't trust me?"

"I trust you if you tell me you want to help. But I have to know that you do. I mean really do."

"Of course I do! But I don't have anything to offer. My magic is gone."

"You didn't have any magic when you first met me. Except for your ridiculously smart brain and your computer skills. I miss my brainy friend who can find out anything just by touching her laptop."

Buffy gave Willow a tentative smile. "Just think about it for awhile, okay? We'll have a Scooby meeting tonight at Giles's. If you want to be part of a team again..." Buffy left it at that and turned to go back to the men when she heard Willow's whisper.

"I... I miss you. All of you. Even Giles... a little bit."

"We'll be at his place. Tonight. We'll get Xander, and Giles and you and me."

"And Spike?"

Buffy's eyes narrowed. "Is that a problem?"

"Nope. Just checking. Nice neckwear you've got there," Willow said with what was almost her usual giggle. Buffy's hand flew to the side of her neck.

Buffy shot a quick look towards the door. "Oh crap! I forgot about that! I hope nobody else saw it." Buffy pulled the collar of her shirt up a little higher.

"I only saw it because I was looking for it. I'm just glad it's only a hickey, not fang marks."

"Spike wouldn't bite me!"

"That's what I told Giles. Spike isn't going to hurt you, so this is a good thing, not a— I mean, the spell was bad. Very bad. Badly bad. But the outcome is pretty good—isn't it?" Her eyes pleaded with Buffy to tell her it was fine. Buffy sighed heavily.

"Maybe? I dunno. It looks like it might be. We'll see. But that's not the point, Willow—"

"Oh! I know. I'm not expecting thanks for anything—" She paused when Buffy's eyes widened and her jaw dropped, hastening on before she could speak. "I just want to be sure I haven't screwed up so much that you hate me."

"No hating here," Buffy said with another sigh, then allowed herself a small smile. "And I'm pretty sure Spike would kiss you if he thought you wouldn't turn him into a toad."

They giggled together for a few seconds, then when they saw the three men staring at them, burst into genuine laughter.

XXXXXXX

When a bewildered Riley had left, promising to provide them with any additional information he could get, Giles, Spike, Willow and Buffy stood together near the open door.

"So, this plan, Sla-Buffy, what is it?"

"It's okay to call me Slayer when we're doing slayer stuff," Buffy said. "I know you're choking on every Buffy that leaves your mouth."

"That's not true, love. But it _is_ a hard habit to break."

Buffy shrugged. "It's what I am." She turned to Giles. "Willow's going to be helping us. She can be valuable, even if she isn't doing magic."

"Do you have a plan?" Giles's question was an indication of how their relationship was shifting from watcher-slayer to one of equals in the fight against evil. He waited for her to respond.

"Well, not really. Not yet. I mean, yeah, I'm going to pull out that power pack, but I have to figure out how to get close enough to do it without being killed. Those are some pretty impressive weapons Adam has built into him." She shrugged. "But Willow's going to do some research and see what else we can find out about him. And you and Spike and me are going to figure out how to get us close enough. Maybe Xander will have some ideas tonight—stop that!" She hit Spike on the arm when he coughed to cover a snort of laughter. "Xander's a Scooby. He has ideas."

"To be sure," Giles said, exchanging a quick look of solidarity with Spike. "In the meantime..."

"In the meantime, you guys need to go do research on... things. Things that can help us get in there."

Willow moved a little closer to Buffy. "I want to help, Giles. I can try to hack into the system and maybe we can find out what he's doing. I won't try to do anything—anything magical. I promise."

"And what will you be doing?" Giles raised his eyebrows at Buffy.

"Um... I guess I'll stay here? And eat all the food you brought? I don't want to go home, cause Mom will just do her Mom thing and find out about Adam, and then she'll worry, and—"

"I would have thought, now that it's safe enough, you would want to go back to your dorm and change clothes, shower, all those things you can't do here in this mausoleum."

"Oh. Right." She looked at Spike, then back to Giles. "Good idea. I can go to my own room and... do stuff to get ready for tonight."

"Sounds like a good idea, Slayer," Spike surprised her by saying. "I think I'll catch some sleep and then head out to see what the demon population thinks of the new situation. Maybe get some insights there."

"Excellent idea!" Giles said with what Buffy felt was more enthusiasm than it deserved. "I'll just drop you at the dorm on my way home, shall I?"

Spike rested a hand on her lower back and whispered, "Go on, love. I'll meet you later at the Watcher's."

XXXXXXXX

Giles stopped at the entrance to the dorm area and waited for Buffy to get out of the car. Willow, who had been sitting quietly in the back seat, reached for the door handle also.

"I think I'll go in with Buffy. My laptop is here, anyway, and I can get started researching Adam."

"I will see you both later this evening then," he said. "In the meantime, I will look into some possible methods of gaining access to this creature."

"I think Riley could get us access," Buffy said. "Maybe?"

"I dunno." Willow shrugged apologetically as if it were her fault Riley couldn't do it. "He said they barely made it out of there alive. He lost a lot of men, and most of the weapons are kept down in the lab."

"Well, maybe Spike will learn something useful. It's not like we have to go rushing in right away. As long as Adam stays down in the Initiative lab area, we should be okay."

XXXXXXXX

"What do you mean, he's 'recruiting'?" Buffy glared at Spike, hands on hips.

"Meant just what I said. The ugly berk has put out word that he wants all the vamps and demons to join him. Promised them unlimited feeding once he takes over the town."

Buffy sighed. "Well, so much for we've got lots of time. Dammit!" She peered at Spike. "Have you seen him? How do you know he's ugly?"

Spike shook his head. "That's what everybody is sayin'. You can figure if vamps and demons think something's ugly... it's ugly."

"If I might..." Giles waited for everyone to turn to him before introducing the quiet-seeming woman standing by his desk. "Buffy, Willow, Xander... Spike, this is Evelyn. She is an old friend of mine... and a member of the Council's—"

The elegant, silver-haired woman interrupted him. "We are not 'the Council's' anything," she said firmly, smiling at Buffy and Willow who were both glaring suspiciously at Giles. "We are a coven of practitioners of earth magic who often assist the Council of Watchers in their duties."

"Yes. Quite. My apologies." Giles looked for a moment like a little boy standing in front of the headmaster. He raised his eyes to glare at Spike who wasn't even trying to hide his smirk. Evelyn turned her attention on him.

"So, this is the vampire? William the Bloody, childe of Drusilla the Mad, grandchilde of Angelus the Scourge of Europe." She walked, completely unafraid, up to Spike, who had gone into game face, and stared into his eyes until they faded back to their normal blue. "And you have chosen to assist the Slayer in her duties?"

"Got her back, if that's what you mean. If that means I have to help her fight evil—" Spike stopped and turned to Buffy in horror. "You've turned me into a white hat! Me! William the Bloody! Spike the... the—"

"The overly protective boyfriend?" Buffy queried, cupping his cheek with her hand.

"I'm not—boyfriend?" Eyes wide, he leaned into her hand. "Really?" He glanced around the room, seeing smug satisfaction on Willow's face, resignation on Giles's, and a grimace of disgust on Xander's.

"If you want to be. Isn't that what we—I mean, I wouldn't have... don't you want—"

He stopped her with a quick kiss. "Do. Am. Whatever you want me to be, love."

"Why do I feel like I've missed several episodes of the Spike and Buffy show?" Xander said. "Boyfriend? Is this another spell? Willow, undo it!"

"Not a spell, Harris. Get used to it."

"_You_ can _not_ be Buffy's boyfriend. Angel was bad enough, but at least he had a soul... some of the time... but you... Buffy! Tell me this is a spell, or a joke. That's it, it's a joke on me, right? Ha ha. You got me good, now step away from the evil undead."

"Xander, just stop, okay? We've got a new evil to take down and I need all the help I can get. Spike's part of that help."

"He can't help without being—something I can't even say without choking?"

Buffy sighed. "Two different things, Xan. Only one of which is any of your business. That's the one where we figure out how to get me—and Spike—close enough to—"

"I can get close, love. All I have to do is pretend I'm answering the call for more vamps on his side. That'll get me in. If you can get close enough, I can distract him—"

"That only works if I'm close enough to take advantage of the distraction. I'm only going to get one shot at that chest."

Giles cleared his throat and waited for Buffy to turn to him. "We have found a spell that may be of assistance... if Willow is able to participate."

"I can't spell yet!"

"Have you tried?" Evelyn asked gently. Willow gave Giles, and then Buffy, a guilty glance.

"Yes. But not lately. And I got nothing."

"That's odd. I can certainly see the power in your aura. Perhaps you might try again now? Just a very small spell..."

Again Willow looked at Giles and Buffy. Buffy shrugged at her, while Giles waited, his face unreadable.

"I... I don't have any supplies with—" Evelyn smiled and took Willow by the hand.

"Let's see how we can do without them, yes?" She led Willow a short distance away, almost, but not quite into the hallway. "Instead of thinking about candles and herbs, try to feel the magic that flows under your feet. The earth has all the magic you need. You just need to learn to channel it." When Willow stared at her dubiously, she smiled. "Try it. You''ll never know unless you give it a try. Close your eyes," she added softly. "Let yourself feel."

Willow squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, as she expelled the breath, she followed Evelyn's whispered "Just relax, let it flow... that's it, you can feel it, can't you, Willow? You feel it just under your feet, tickling your toes, waiting for you to draw what you need..."

Willow's eyes flew open and she gasped. "I feel it! I can feel it. It's... it's—" She frowned. "It won't obey me."

Evelyn exchanged a quick look with Giles before saying, "You can't control it, Willow. You have to learn to ask it to work with you. Let's think about something simple, moving that cup, for instance. Relax, don't try to order the magic around, just let it flow up into your body and out your fingers..."

Willow scrunched up her face, then visibly forced herself to relax and shut her eyes. When she opened them, she stared at the cup on Giles's desk and smiled as it slid toward the edge. She turned to Evelyn and beamed. "I did it! I didn't even have to point at it. I'm getting my magic back!"

When she looked around the room, she saw varying degrees of acceptance. Xander looked happy for her, if a bit concerned; Giles was trying not to frown but failing miserably; Buffy was smiling nervously, and Spike was staring at her with one eyebrow raised. Before the exchange of looks could grow into something nobody wanted, Evelyn said in her gentle way, "That's wonderful, Willow. Now how do you feel? Did you feel as though the earth was helping you... or was it hindering you?"

Willow narrowed her eyes at the older witch, then her shoulders slumped and she sighed and shook her head. "I was fighting it. I wanted to pick the cup up, but I wanted to do it by myself and I couldn't."

Evelyn nodded. "You could feel the earth magic, but you didn't want to use it because you wouldn't feel in control. You are clearly very strong, or you wouldn't have been able to move the cup at all." Evelyn glanced around the room, finally focusing on Giles. "Will you explain to her where the assistance comes from, or shall I?"

Giles gestured to his old friend. "I believe it will be best coming from you. Should you need my input... as someone who has some experience with one of the less-pleasant alternatives, I will be happy to contribute, but I will leave it to you."

Willow stared back and forth between them, an annoyed frown forming on her face. "What assistance? I moved that cup. I didn't use the earth magic. I told it to get lost."

Spike leaned over and whispered just loud enough for Buffy and Xander to hear, "We're gonna want some popcorn while we watch this show."

Xander glared at him and Buffy elbowed him in the ribs, but she nodded and sat down next to Xander. Spike sat on the arm of the sofa, leaning back so as to rest his hand on Buffy's shoulder. His eyes challenged Xander to say something, but he only sighed and muttered, "At least you don't have a soul to lose."

Their attention was drawn back to the three people facing off on the other side of the room. Willow was standing, hand on hips, watching Giles and Evelyn exchange looks.

"What? Why is this a problem? Are you just jealous because I don't need to use earth magic to do stuff? Maybe I'm stronger than you and I don't need any 'assistance'."

"Willow, please, come and sit with me." Evelyn gestured to the chair near the desk and, after a moment's consideration, sank to the floor in front of it. It wasn't lost on anyone in the room that she was deliberately making herself smaller and non-threatening, rather than trying to appear superior to Willow.

"Smart woman," Xander whispered, earning shocked looks and then nods from Buffy and Spike.

"Rupert, would you mind getting us both a nice cuppa while we chat?" Evelyn turned to look up at Willow, now sitting, somewhat reluctantly, in the chair. "Allow me to explain something very basic about magic," she began. "While it is true, that different people have differing levels of ability and innate talent, the talent they are born with is not the magic itself, but one that allows them to unconsciously tap into the nearest source of power. They are born with the ability to call upon the power, not the magic itself. That must be borrowed from a source. Unfortunately for those not trained in the use of earth magic, that often means tapping into much less benign sources of power. Demonic, if you will. Even pure evil if one is really unfortunate."

She paused to let a skeptical Willow absorb her words, then continued, "When you began your experiments with spells, you were tapping into the nearest source of magical power... which is..." She paused, waiting for Willow to fill in the gap.

"The Hellmouth!" Buffy and Xander gasped out the answer at the same time, while Spike and Giles just nodded their heads.

"What? No! No, I just followed the instructions in the spell manual. I wasn't calling on anything!"

"No?" Evelyn waited while Willow went over in her mind some of the words she'd used in her incantations. Her face visibly paled as she recalled parts of the spells she'd used when asking that her will be done, and the later ones aimed specifically at Giles and Buffy. Evelyn watched the battle going on behind Willow's eyes as her need to think she was completely in charge fought with the evidence that she may have had demonic assistance.

"Let me ask you something," Evelyn said in a kind tone. "Did you feel like yourself at the time? Is cursing blindness upon a friend, or a demonic attraction on another something you would normally do? Or, telling another friend to go off and have sexual congress with a notorious vampire? Is that something Willow Rosenberg would normally wish upon the people she cares about?"

While Xander and Buffy's eyes grew big as they understood what Evelyn was suggesting had happened, Willow's own expression hardened into stubborn denial.

"You're trying to say that I did those things because some demon was controlling me? That's ridiculous – all I said was Buffy should marry Spike. They're the ones that couldn't tear themselves apart when I tried to break them up. And the other stuff was... accidental. I was just mad and unhappy and I... I said things. I didn't mean them!"

"And when you saw what you'd done, why didn't you release them immediately? Why did you make them remain in those conditions for days? Are you always so unforgiving and vindictive?"

"Unfor—Vindic— Who the hell are you to come in here and say that I'm... any of those things?" Willow's eyes flashed almost black for a second, and while Evelyn remained calm, Giles set down the cups of tea he was carrying and moved closer to them, his body visibly tense.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Evelyn was polite, but relentless. "If you do not see yourself as unforgiving, vindictive, or willing to cause harm to people you think you care about, why do you suppose you behaved that way?"

Spike's "hear, hear" wasn't as soft as he'd planned, and Willow whipped her head around.

"I can still make that chip fire if I want to, Spike. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be considered demon magic if I made a vampire's head explode. I mean, that's practically a public ser—"

The collective gasp from everyone in the room stopped her in mid-threat. Before Buffy could follow up on her obviously violent intentions, Xander grabbed her and tugged her back onto the couch where Spike put a restraining hand on her arm and raised his eyebrows at Xander.

"Let me handle this, Buffy. You stay with the evil undead."

Xander crossed the room and knelt at Willow's feet, smiling apologetically at Evelyn who had to move out of his way. She rose and went to stand by Giles while Xander took Willow's hands in his, gazing into her wary eyes.

"You know how much I love you, right? You're my best friend since forever, and I know what kind of person you are. My Willow would never do something like that – even to Spike." He threw an almost apologetic glance over his shoulder, but Spike shrugged and gestured for him to go on.

"My Willow, the one I love? She wouldn't do anything to hurt anybody. And if she did hurt somebody accidentally, she'd fix it as soon as she could." He squeezed her hands when she tried to pull them away. "I'm not saying you are any of those things she said. I'm saying you _aren't _those things, so you ought to think about it a little bit and ask yourself if maybe, just maybe, you _are_ tapping into something Hellmouthy. Some energy that maybe isn't something you want to be messing with."

He waited, holding her hands, while she stared back at him. "I'll love you anyway," he said as he released her. "But I'd like you more if you were my Willow again."

He waited, kneeling at her feet, until her face crumpled and she began to sob. Immediately, he put his arms around her and held her until she trailed off to sniffles. When she stopped sniffling and raised her head, he let go and rocked back onto his heels.

"Are we okay now?"

Willow nodded, then glanced over at Spike and Buffy. "I'm sorry, Spike. I mean, if you were still evil... but in the long run, it looks like..." She switched her attention to Buffy. "I wouldn't do that to him. Not really. Not unless he—"

Buffy nodded. "If you did, you know you'd be hurting me too, right?"

"Oh, I know. I know. I'm okay now. I'll be fine. That was just a moment of—" Willow paled and looked at Evelyn. "I was going to hurt my friends again, wasn't I?"

Evelyn gave a grave nod, but didn't speak. Willow turned teary eyes back on Xander, and then on Buffy. "I'm so sorry, guys. You know I love you."

Buffy ran over and bent down to hug Willow. "We love you too. I'm just glad you're back." She stepped back a half step and studied Willow's face. "You_ are _back, right? No more bad-spell casting Willow?"

"No more. No spells for me unless I'm using good magic."

Standing up, Willow pulled Xander's hand until all three of them were sharing a group hug and saying how much they loved each other. Spike rolled his eyes and strolled over to Giles and Evelyn.

"If they start singing "Kumbaya" I'm going to toss my bloody cookies." He looked at the two frowning people beside him. "Do you think Harris got through to her?"

"If so, I think you owe him a vote of thanks," Giles said. "I'm not sure Evelyn and I would have been able to stop her in time to save your life."

"But I take it you were ready to try?"

Evelyn sighed. "If it was necessary, I was prepared to contain her magic. Somewhat as Rupert did last month. But I would prefer not to be in such a confrontational situation. Mr. Harris's approach to talking her down was much better than our having to contain her would have been. That would have just sparked more resentment and left her open to more demonic influences – possibly even a vengeance demon."

Spike and Giles exchanged a glance of agreement that it was just as well Anya hadn't come with Xander, then turned their attention back to Willow. She walked over to Evelyn and said, "If you still want to help me, I want to learn about earth magic. I want to be able to do good with my magic, not evil."

"I would be happy to do that, Willow. Perhaps we can begin tomorrow? I'm a bit jet lagged this evening and could really use some sleep."

"Oh sure. Of course! You should sleep and I'll just do... something else. Something good and non-magicky."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

After an hour or so of discussing possible scenarios, Giles sighed and rubbed his forehead. Xander had already left, pleading work in the morning and promising to be back the following evening.

"I believe we have come up with a workable plan. Sharing our best qualities with Buffy to enhance her own powerful slayer talents should be enough to take care of Adam. If Agent Finn can get us into the area safely and keep us safe while we set up... it could work. I'll go over the details and magic involved with Evelyn tomorrow and we'll work out exactly what needs to happen and when."

Spike stood up and stretched. "Sounds like a plan. C'mon, Red, the Slayer and I will walk you home."

Giles fixed Spike with a hard glare. "I believe Buffy and Willow live in the same place, do they not? Surely Buffy is planning to sleep in her own bed tonight."

Her face bright red, Buffy stood up too. "Of course I am, Giles. He just forgot that Willow and I live in the same dorm."

Spike's expression was non-committal, but he just said, "Slip o' the tongue, Watcher. No need to get your knickers in a twist about it." He walked to the door and held it open for the girls to walk out. When they were through the door he glanced back to stare coldly into Giles's equally icy gaze. "Jus' so you know, where Buffy sleeps is only your business when you need to know how to find her."

Before he could elaborate, he was yanked through the door, which shut behind him. He stumbled after them, losing his balance when Buffy let go of the arm she'd used to pull him out of the apartment. He caught himself and moved to catch up to the two girls, one of whose rigid body was stomping toward the campus. Only when Willow timidly mentioned that she didn't have superpowered walking skills did Buffy slow down enough for Spike to fall into step beside her. He kept pace for a few strides, then nudged her arm.

"Did my mouth get me in trouble again?"

She sighed and slowed even more. "Let's just say it's a good thing your mouth can do other things besides make words." When Willow gasped and Spike appeared to be choking, Buffy said hastily, "Kissing! I meant kissing. Spike's a really good kisser, and..."

"And hickey-giver," Willow said with a giggle. "Maybe that's what you meant."

"And that," Buffy mumbled. "That's what I meant. That's all."

"Should I be offended then?" Spike leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Do you need a reminder?"

"No! Yes! I mean – shut up, Spike!"

The rest of the walk to the campus was passed in relative silence with Spike giving an occasional chuckle and Willow casting sidelong glances at them. As they reached the dorm, she finally said, "So, Buffy, are you really going to stay here tonight, or are you going..." She waved her hand in Spike's direction.

Buffy looked confused, biting her lip and unconsciously moving closer to Spike, even as she said, "I don't — we should probably —" She raised her eyes to his and said, "I need to see what I can find out from Riley tomorrow, and maybe even go to a class or two. We need a way to get close enough to Adam for our plan to work."

"You go on, love," he said, ignoring Willow's curious eyes and stroking Buffy's face. "Much as I'd like to have you spend the night in my bed, I expect a good night's sleep would be a better idea. I'm going to see if I can get into that place again and already be there when you lot come marching in with white hats shining."

"That sounds dangerous. What if he knows about me... us? He might kill you. If you dust, I'd never know what happened and I—"

"Won't do that to you, Slayer. Wouldn't do anything to throw you off your game. If it doesn't look like I should stay, I'll take myself right back out. I promise." He brushed his lips over hers. "Got too much to live for now. I'll see you either at the watcher's tomorrow, or when you make your move."

"Be careful." Buffy turned to follow Willow into their building, casting a last glance back at Spike before entering.

XXXXXXXX

Other than giving a few casual greetings to other students as they found their way to their room, Buffy and Willow remained silent until they reached their room and had shut the door.

"Okay, spill, Missy. Are you and Spike a couple? Cause that looked pretty couply to me."

"I don't know what we are," Buffy sighed. "Giles is obviously not happy about us being an us, and Mom doesn't even know yet. But he... and I... and we..."

"Stammering and incoherence. Sounds like love to me." Willow said with a small smile tinged with the sadness that had become so familiar since Oz's departure.

"I think it's a little early to say that," Buffy said quickly. "There's... liking... and lust... and when we aren't fighting about something, more liking. But I think love is a pretty strong word to use for two people who were trying to kill each other not very long ago."

"You guys have tried to kill each other a lot, haven't you? Wonder why one or the other of you didn't get lucky... in the having good luck killing something sense of the word, not—"

"I got it, Wills. I dunno. Maybe we're just too evenly matched?"

"Or maybe you just didn't really want to kill each other? Or maybe the Powers That Be didn't want you to kill each other? Maybe there's a reason you fell in love when I just said you should marry—"

"Slow down there, witchy woman. Even when we had a truce so I could do something about Angelus, we didn't i_like_/i each other. We got along okay when we had to, and he sucked up to my mom, but there was no liking or even lusting. We were just temporary allies."

Willow shrugged. "If you say so. I'm just pointing out that you two spent more time talking about killing each other than actually doing it, and maybe you both were subconsciously—" She stopped when Buffy rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. I'm just looking for a reason why you're so close now. Other than my spell gave you a chance to do something besides fight each other... And I'm not mentioning that again!" She added hastily when Buffy's rolled eyes turned into a glare.

XXXXX

The following evening, they gathered again at Giles's apartment. Willow had spent much of the day there, talking with Evelyn, practicing calling upon the earth's magic to work simple spells, and contributing what she could to the plan Giles was explaining to them. Giles and Evelyn seemed confident that between themselves and Willow, they would have no trouble doing a spell to give Buffy the strength of everyone who contributed to it – making her, temporarily, at least as strong as Adam. They just needed to be able to get close enough to work the spell in safety as it wasn't going to last very long.

When Buffy arrived, she had a very quiet Riley Finn with her. At her urging, he shared what he knew of ways in and out of the lab area where Adam had set up his headquarters.

"It's actually right on the edge of a cave system that the vamps and demons can use to get in to him without being seen on campus. We've been picking them off where we can, but we can't cover all the ways into the main tunnel. If we can clear that tunnel out without raising an alarm, you should be able to find a place to set up... whatever it is you're setting up..."

His puzzled frown was indicative of how small a part magic played in his own knowledge of the supernatural. Although he considered Adam a scientific experiment gone bad, he admitted to a lack of understanding when it came to the vampires and demons. The demons he could tell himself were just animals, sub terrestrial creatures that had just never been seen before. The vampires – living dead men – were harder to explain away, particularly when Buffy talked about souls and their importance to how evil a vampire was.

"We may be able to help with that also," Giles said. "If we can provide a cloaking spell for Buffy, keeping her invisible for a short time, she should be able to clear out the tunnels without too much noise."

"By herself?"

"Not going to be by herself." Spike's voice preceded him into the room as he entered just behind Xander.

"Spike! Are you okay? What happened?" Ignoring the looks from the other men in the room, Buffy ran to Spike and lightly touched his somewhat battered-looking face.

"Did alright for a bit, then some wanker of a demon that saw us when we were under that bloody spell..."

He paused to glare at Willow, who snapped back, "Don't you even think about telling me you're sorry I did that spell, mister. I know better!" Spike shook his head and growled, but didn't argue.

"That's beside the point. Anyway, I talked my way out of that mess, almost had the big git convinced I'd do anything to get this chip out...even deliver you to him... when one of his half-soldier, half-robot things said he'd seen me goin' in and out of here too many times for it to be coincidence."

He held up his hands so they could see his knuckles. "Had to fight my way back out. If you can make us both invisible, I'm willin' to fight my way back in."

"Better go put some ice on those knuckles. You might need them soon," Buffy said, nudging him toward the kitchen before turning to Giles. "So, what do we think? Invisible Spike and Buffy clear the tunnels so you guys can set up your spell, I go in to tackle Adam and make him an ex-monster?"

"What can we do?" Riley asked. "I don't have a lot of men left, but we've got some firepower."

"Can you blow that place up after we get out? I'm really not up for fighting a lot of escaping demons tonight on top of—"

"We can do that. If Adam isn't able to fight anymore, we can take care of what's left of his army. Will you need somebody to guard the... the... spell casters?"

"They've got that," Spike said shortly. "Nothing's getting' past me to interrupt the people who are keeping the Slayer safe." His eyes glittered, sending Riley unconsciously shrinking away.

"Shouldn't Spike be part of the spell?" Buffy moved closer to him. "He's almost as strong as I am – I could probably use that too."

Evelyn exchanged a long look with Spike, who tipped his chin at her, saying, "Go on, tell them why I can't be part of it."

"Spike, as different a vampire as he appears to be now, is still a demon. An unsoulled demon. Including him in the spell would be opening all of us up to demonic influences. As it is, being surrounded by evil as we will be, we will need every bit of earth magic we can pull into ourselves to maintain the spell. The Slayer is inherently good – allowing a demon's influence to affect her while she is fighting evil could be disastrous."

"Oh." Buffy looked up at Spike as if she was seeing him for the first time. He gave her a sad smile and, despite the other humans watching, he put his arms around her, holding her in a loose embrace.

"I'll be more useful as extra muscle to protect your white hat supporters, Buffy. You know if I thought it would help, I'd jump at the chance to share my strength with you, but I won't do anything to put you in more danger."

"What about me?" Xander raised his hand. "I don't have any magic to contribute – and I can't fight like fangface here. I don't really want to sit this out."

"Oh, you're an important part of the spell, Xander!" Willow hastened to pull him over closer to Giles and Evelyn. "You're going to be the heart of the group. We each have something to contribute to Buffy's strength, and that's yours. Your heart and courage. We can't do it without you."

"Oh. Well that's... pretty cool, I guess. When do we leave?"


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

"Well," Giles began, I presume we can—"

Spike interrupted him. "Frankenstein is gathering an army. His plan is to come out no later than tomorrow night. Figures he's got enough demons on his side to keep the Slayer busy while he sets himself up in City Hall as the boss of Sunnydale. Didn't find out much more before I had to get out, but if we don't hit him now, we're going to have to fight our way through an army led by some of the second class Frankensteins he's been manufacturing from the humans he has."

"Are they as strong as Adam is?"

Spike shrugged. "No, but they aren't your average half-robot man either. They aren't as fast as we are—that's why I was able to get away—but they pack a bloody hard punch."

"Terrific. I don't suppose they're going to all fall down dead when I take care of their boss?"

"No idea, pet, but I don't think we should count on it."

Riley spoke up. "No. They are separate from him, not extensions. I... we'll take care of as many of them as we can. Most of them are... were... my men. I owe it to them."

Buffy gave Riley a sympathetic look, but said, "That's good. One less thing for me to worry about," and turned back to Giles.

"Are we ready to go tonight?"

He exchanged looks with Evelyn, who nodded, saying, "I believe we can pull something together in another hour or so. I would have preferred to have another day to work out all the spell details, but if Spike is correct, we will have to do it tonight."

"Spike _is_ correct," the vampire in question growled. "But we're not risking Buffy in there if you lot aren't sure of what you're doing."

"_Buffy_ is standing right here," she said, glaring him into silence. "If we need to go tonight, we go tonight. You don't get a vote."

Spike's eyes flashed yellow and his fangs slid down, causing Riley to clutch his weapon and begin to raise it. Buffy slapped it down without even looking at him and stepped up to the snarling vampire. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the door.

"We need to talk," she said, opening the door and pulling him through it. When it had shut behind them, she dropped his arm and sighed, moving her hand to cup his cheek and waiting for him to fade back into his human mien. When he was staring at her with still-angry but now blue eyes, she caressed his cheek then lowered her arm. She waited until he dropped his glare and moved closer to her before leaning into him and resting her hand briefly on his chest.

"This is what I do, Spike. You know that. I have to face the big bad, whatever and wherever it is. It's what I do... it's what I _am._" She waited for him to give a sigh of his own and put his arms around her before she continued. "I appreciate that you're trying to keep me safe—and trust me, that puts you way ahead of Angel and his cryptic warnings when we were first dating—but you can't do that. You can back me up, you can fight beside me when that's what we need to do, you can promise me you won't do anything stupid and get dusted while I'm busy saving the world... but you can't tell me what to do." She raised her head to meet his gaze. "When it comes down to it, I'm the Slayer. You have to let me do my job."

He tightened his embrace, relaxing when she put her own arms around him and squeezed back. "I know that, love. I know you're the Slayer—probably the best one that ever lived—but you're also the woman I love. You can't expect me to just stand by and be cheerful while you risk your life. The demon in me admires the Slayer confidence and courage, the man in me just wants to have some say in the decision-making... and to keep you safe."

"I can't let you do that," Buffy said, her voice muffled where she'd buried her face in his neck. "I'll listen to your suggestions, but I have to make the final decision. Are you okay with that?"

"Am a getting a choice?"

"Well... you can always walk away if you—oof!" His arms tightened again to the point of pain. "Okay, so that's a no?"

"Too bloody right, it's a no! Not going anywhere. Not without you."

"Then I think where we need to go is back inside so we can get ready for tonight's work."

Neither one of them mentioned Spike's declaration of love, but the words lingered in the air between them as they re-entered the apartment hand in hand. Giles raised an eyebrow at them and gave a smirk that Spike found unpleasantly familiar.

"Is that all sorted, then?" Giles inquired, smothering a smile at Spike's growl of assent.

"Are we all set?" Buffy looked at Evelyn and Willow, noticing the small frown on Evelyn's face and Willows tight lips. "Is there a problem?"

"Just a little misunderstanding," Evelyn said. "I think we're all ready to play our parts."

"Even if some of us have bigger parts than others," Willow muttered so low that only Spike heard her. He stared at her until she felt his eyes and looked up. Her guilty start at realizing he'd heard what she said was quickly followed by, "Yes. We're all ready to do our part. I know I am. Just waiting to be told what to do and when to do it."

As Buffy gathered weapons, handing Spike some stakes and a sword, Giles and Evelyn quickly went over the plan, getting a roughly drawn map from Riley to help them find the closest room to the main lab. He then left to collect the rest of his men, promising to meet them at the tunnel entrance he'd indicated was the easiest way in.

As they went out the door, Spike managed to get close enough to Willow to whisper, "Think you can keep that ego of yours under control long enough to keep my girl safe?"

She glared at him, hissing, "You owe me for that 'girl' of yours, buddy. And I'll be fine. I know my job, just see that you do yours."

He followed the humans out of the building and to the parking lot, where it became obvious they could not all fit comfortably in Giles's car.

"Spike and I don't need to ride. We can get there just as fast on foot. You go on—but don't get too close without us."

"We'll be all right," Xander said, raising a sword in one hand and stake in the other.

Spike rolled his eyes but muttered to Buffy, "Boy's got balls. I'll give him that."

XXXXXXXXX

Buffy and Spike began jogging in the direction of campus, turning into the woods where Riley had indicated the trail would lead to the tunnel. With Spike's eyesight, they had no trouble finding their way to a dirt road, and they arrived at the tunnel just as Riley and his men were setting up equipment. The soldiers all stiffened at the sight of Spike in game face, but they'd been warned to expect him and when he paid them no attention, they went back to what they were doing.

"What's all that?" Buffy peered curiously at the growing pile of weapons.

"Guns, ammo, grenades, and some incendiary devices to plant in the tunnels on our way out."

"Gonna blow things up?" Spike seemed much too interested in what they were planning to suit the men, and they all touched their weapons.

"Easy there, mates. I just like watchin' things go boom. Not planning to eat anybody... just now, anyway." He licked his lips and laughed until Buffy punched him on the arm. "Ow! That hurt, Slayer! I'm just having some fun."

"Trying to scare people who are going to help us is not my idea of fun, Spike. Be nice to them."

"Spoil sport," he grumbled as he dropped back into his human face. Riley and his men watched the exchange with open mouths and wide eyes. The vampire that had been the only one strong enough to survive and be found worthy of a chip, and the little girl they still couldn't quite believe was on their side were joking and shoving each other like schoolchildren.

As soon as they saw the headlights of Giles's car, they all fell silent and waited to be told what to do.

"Let's go, Spike," Buffy said, walking toward the tunnel entrance. "Riley, you tell Giles to follow us. We'll clear out any vamps or demons between us and where we're going. It's up to you to make sure no more of them come in behind us."

"We'll be the rear guard," Riley agreed. "But we'll have to be in rear coming out too, so we can leave charges where we need them."

XXXXXXXXXXX

It didn't take long to get through the soon-empty tunnels to the space where they were to set up the spell. It was just a small off shoot of what appeared to be a major corridor, but only a short distance from the entrance to the main lab. Not until they were already chanting and Buffy was already feeling the effects of absorbing power and knowledge from all four participants did anything notice them. The first demon to raise a shout never finished his warning as Spike broke his neck from behind and dropped the body on the floor. He was soon busy as more demons and a few vampires came out of the lab. A few of the vamps recognized Spike and chose to either return to the lab or try to run rather than face him.

Riley's squad was set up where they could both fire down the tunnel if necessary, and toward the lab if and when one of their former comrades came out. They left the hand-to-hand fighting to Spike, only using their weapons when needed for back up and when they were able to avoid striking the vampire who seemed to be in perpetual motion as he took on a growing crowd of demons all trying to reach the small cluster of chanting humans.

Adam's eventual approach to find out what the commotion was about seemed almost anticlimactic. As he left the lab, Buffy was poised in the corridor, waiting for him and bouncing in anticipation. It took him several seconds, and some blows that never landed on the too-fast-for-him human, before he understood he was not going to be able to bat this "slayer" away as he usually did most people or demons. He brought his cannon-enhanced arm up to aim at her, but she knocked it aside, stepped in, and trust her hand into his chest. He stared down at himself in shock, which turned to rage as Buffy withdrew her hand, his power pack held securely in her fist. She threw herself backwards, away from his powerful fists, taking the power pack with her and tearing the cables that had been connecting it.

She rolled away from the toppling giant and threw the glowing object as far down the corridor as she could, scrambling to her feet and following it out into the larger space. She watched Spike tossing demons away from where her friends were waiting to be told it was done. Buffy ran to them and tapped Giles on the shoulder. He exhaled in relief, relaxing and letting the spell begin to fade. As he released his mind, the others also relaxed and slumped down where they sat. They all looked more tired than Buffy, who had actually been the one to fight. She gave them a few moments to recover, then said, "Come on, guys. Let's get out of here and let Riley blow it up. I think Spike's getting tired."

She looked over her shoulder where Spike was still snarling and snapping at anything that tried to approach, but she could see that one arm was hanging awkwardly at his side and he had several bruises on his face. She stepped up beside and picked up the sword he'd dropped.

"Mind if I cut in?" she quipped, slicing the head off a demon that thought he was going to take advantage of Spike's momentary inattention.

"Be my guest, pet. Think I'm about danced out."

"Can you make it back out?" She frowned at him as he swayed. Before she could say anything else, Xander surprised her by slinging Spike's arm over his shoulder.

"Let's go, fangface. I'm getting all claustrophobic in here."

With Buffy in front, clearing any remaining demons out of the way, and Riley's men bringing up the rear and laying down rapid fire to discourage anything from following them, they all made their way to the entrance and collapsed on the ground.

"Thanks, Harris," Spike said, slumping against a tree. He watched as Xander stretched out on the ground beside him.

"Don't get used to it," Xander said. "Doesn't mean I like you or anything."

"Wouldn't expect it."

**"**Just so we're clear."

"Crystal."

They rested in silence for several minutes, then without looking at him, Xander said, "I saw you. I mean, I couldn't move because I was all spell-bound and stuff, but I could see you. It was pretty impressive. You saved our lives like – fifty times."

"Fifty-five, but who's countin'," Spike said, hiding a smile. "Impressed you, huh?"

"In a totally that's what Spike looks like when he's fighting for something important to him and I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side, kind of way."

Before Spike could respond, Buffy wandered over and sat down with them.

"How are you?" She brushed her fingers over one of the bruises on his face.

"Been better. But I've been a lot worse too. I'll be fine by tomorrow night. Some blood, some kip, and I'll be good as new."

Buffy turned her gaze on Xander who was sitting up watching them. "Thanks for helping him get out of there, Xan."

"No problem. Glad to help," he replied, turning his head to where Willow and Evelyn and Giles seemed to be having a heated discussion. "What's going on there?"

Spike answered for Buffy. "Red threw some fireballs at a vamp and rolled a rock down on a demon. Think the good witch there didn't like what she saw."

"How do you know?"

"I was closer to them than you were. Caught it from the corner of my eye, and I can hear them now. Seems like they think Red might have stepped off the reservation a little."

XXXXXXXXX

When the soldiers had joined them and suggested everyone get back from the cave entrance, they all picked themselves up and walked to the car. Once again, it was barely big enough for four people, but when Buffy tried to say she'd walk by herself, Xander pulled Willow onto his lap and moved over so Buffy and Spike could both fit into the narrow back seat.

"Giles, drop us off at Restfield," Buffy said as they neared Spike's cemetery. "Spike needs blood."

Giles opened his mouth to reply, causing Buffy to narrow her eyes in preparation for an argument, but Evelyn reached across the console to touch his arm, saying softly, "They've earned the right, don't you think?"

In silence, Giles drove all the way into Restfield, stopping when they were close to Spike's crypt. "Ta, Watcher, Good Witch," Spike said as he climbed out of the car. A terse nod was Giles's only reply, but Evelyn gave him a small smile.

After thanking Xander and Willow, Buffy followed Spike out, pausing before shutting the door to thank Giles and Evelyn. They nodded. She closed the door and began walking with Spike, moving slowly to accommodate his slight limp. The humans watched them walk away, silent until Evelyn said, "I wish you could see what I do, Rupert. You would worry so much less about her."

"What do you see?" Willow's voice came from the backseat.

Evelyn frowned. "I'd have thought you would be able to see it also," she said. "They have very distinctive auras, but they blend together beautifully. Spike's aura is unusual for a vampire—although the demon is quite visible in it—and Buffy's, of course, is pure and shining. Together they create a powerful and brilliant blended aura. One that surrounds them both. Quite unusual." She looked back at Willow. "You really can't see them? You should be able to pull that bit of power up quite easily." She shrugged. "Oh well. We can work on it tomorrow. Perhaps you're just still tired from tonight's work and need to be standing on the earth in order to use it."

"What difference would that make?" Willow sounded more curious than disgruntled, but she was clearly not happy to be unable to see the auras.

"The only way to see auras is to be using earth magic. The Hellmouth would not provide the right kind of energy for it. Since you've just been part of a fairly strong earth-magic fueled spell, I would have thought you'd have noticed the auras while we were walking through the tunnels."

"Unless," Giles said quietly as he put the car in gear, "you were not using the earth as your power source when you were throwing fireballs and rocks..."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Spike and Buffy made their way, him limping, but refusing any assistance, Buffy fighting the urge to try to help him. When he seemed about to lose his balance, she muttered, "Screw your masculine pride," and put his arm over her shoulders, taking much of his weight and using the arm around his waist to keep him upright.

"Could be I underestimated how much blood I lost," he admitted, leaning on her with a relieved sigh.

"Few more steps," she said. "Then you can rest and eat."

She left him leaning against the wall while she opened the heavy doors to the crypt. It seemed like a very long time ago that they were all talking and going off in different directions to plan the attack on Adam. She helped Spike inside, leaving him slumped on the couch while she re-closed the doors and put a stone plinth in front of the inner door.

"Expectin' company?" he asked, his voice barely able to register any curiosity.

"No. But I don't want any surprises. Too many people know where you live now."

"Need to make a lock for that door – or a heavy bar across it."

"Yeah, well, in the meantime... I think that's heavy enough to slow most people down." She walked past him, ignoring the hand he put out, and searched the refrigerator for the newest blood. She frowned at the bags of human blood with hospital expiration dates on them, but sighed and brought two of them over.

"We're going to have a talk about all this, once it's done its job and made you well enough for me to yell at."

"It's all expired, love. They weren't going to use it anyway. "

"I have a hard time believing that a Sunnydale hospital doesn't use up every drop of blood it gets," she muttered, handing him the first bag. She watched with interest as he punctured it with one fang and then upended the bag and let if flow into his mouth. His throat flexed from time to time as he chugged the entire bagful of old blood. "I'm pretty sure I should be more disgusted by that than I am," she said, taking the limp bag from him and handing him another full one.

He smirked at her and disposed of the new bag just as quickly. "Ta, love," he said as Buffy took the empty bag.

"More?"

Spike shook his head. "Let that do its work for a bit." He shut his eyes and leaned against the back of the couch, patting the seat beside him.

"Why don't you just go downstairs? You'll be more comfortable, and I can always bring you more blood when you need it."

He opened one eye and peered at her. "Where are you plannin' to be?"

"Well, I thought I'd... but... unless you don't want me to stay?"

"Don't be daft," he said, struggling to his feet. "Wasn't asking you what want, was asking what you wanted to do."

"I want to get you fed, rested, and healed." She watched him carefully as he made his way to the ladder, but refrained from trying to help when he gave her a glare.

"And what are you going to be doing while I'm doing all this resting and healing?"

"I was thinking I'd just catch up on some missing sleep—watch out!" She grabbed his good arm just in time to keep him from tumbling down from where he was sitting on the floor at the top of the ladder. "Let me go down first," she said, going around him and starting down. She glanced up from the floor below. "Now you can come."

Grumbling about bossy women and being a perfectly capable vampire with super powers, Spike lowered himself, one careful rung at a time until his feet were on the ground and he could turn around to face Buffy.

"See. No problem. I'm better already."

She cocked her head and studied his paler than usual face and the way he was leaning on the ladder for support. "No you aren't. Get over there and get into bed, I'm going to get you another bag of blood." Without waiting for a response, she stepped around him and half-climbed, half-jumped up the ladder. She bit her lip as she stared into the fridge, shook her head, and took out two bags instead of one.

By the time she got back downstairs, Spike's jeans and torn shirt were on the floor and he was lying, face down across the bed. With a sigh, Buffy set the blood down on the floor beside the bed and smacked him on his bare ass. He rolled over with a growl.

"I'll teach you about spanking when I'm up to it, Slayer. Now is not the time."

She rolled her eyes and handed him one of the bags of blood. "I'll let you sleep in a few minutes. I want you to get more blood into your system first."

Spike drained the bag as quickly as he had the first two, dropped it on the floor and fell back against the pillow. "Can I rest now, Doctor Slayer?" He patted the empty space beside him. "Think I'd heal faster if I had something to keep me warm..." Even as he spoke, doing his best to leer at her, his eyes were drifting shut. Buffy leaned down and kissed his forehead before pulling the duvet up over him.

"In a sec," she promised, realizing how tired she was herself. In spite of all the extra strength borrowed from her friends, fighting their way into the lab and then exchanging blows with Adam while keeping away from his weapons had not been all that easy on her. She'd noticed her fatigue when all the borrowed power drained out, but had thought the sudden loss was magnifying the sensation of weakness and she would be fine. Feeling much less than fine now that the battle was over and she and Spike were safe, she quickly shed her shoes, socks, jeans, and shirt, frowning in thought when she was down to her underwear.

"All of it," Spike said, peering at her through barely-open eyes.

She blushed, but did as he asked, dropping her underwear on the floor with her other clothes and quickly sliding into bed and under the covers. Spike extended one arm and pulled her in until her leg was draped over his and her head was lying on his chest. With a happy sigh, he fell asleep, Buffy safely in his arms. She paused to enjoy the feeling, but soon drifted off to sleep herself, content to share her warmth with him.

XXXXXXX

"So, there are auras, huh?" Willow ignored Giles's muttered remark about what power she'd used in the tunnels and spoke only to Evelyn. "I met a girl at a Wicca meeting who talked about auras. She was surprised I couldn't see them too." Willow bit her lip. "We're going to practice doing spells together." She glared at the back of Giles's head as if expecting an argument.

"She must be quite well-connected with the earth magic to see them easily at such a young age," Evelyn said with a smile. "I'd like to meet her."

"_I'm _young. You thought I should see them."

"Just Buffy and Spike's – because we'd pulled so much power from the earth to work the spell. I'd have expected some of it to linger for awhile, given what you seem to be capable of doing on your own."

The car was silent as everyone carefully avoided mentioning that Willow may have been using another source of power by the time they were on the way out of the Initiative. They got out of the car in the parking lot and Xander waved his good-bye as he entered his own car to go home. He offered Willow a ride back to the dorm, and after another look at Evelyn and Giles, she accepted.

"Maybe I'll bring Tara with me tomorrow night," she said as she got into Xander's car.

"I'd like that," Evelyn said. "Perhaps she'd like to join us for your next lesson?"

"We'll see," was Willow's noncommittal response as she closed the door.

The older couple watched them drive away, gave matching sighs, and entered the apartment building. By mutual agreement, they decided to wait until morning to discuss Willow and her possible reluctance to accept Evelyn's guidance. They said their goodnights and went to their respective rooms.

XXXXXXXX

"I take it you're feeling better?" Buffy giggled as she felt Spike's cock poking her rather insistently.

"Been waiting for you to wake up forever," he breathed into her ear, smiling when she shivered against him. He slid one leg in between hers and pressed himself even closer.

"Forever, huh?"

"Seems like. 'S possible it wasn't quite that long... but I woke up wantin' you and it was just getting' harder and harder to keep my hands off."

Buffy snorted. "I'm pretty sure that hard thing poking me isn't one of your hands. What if I didn't want to wake up yet?"

"Knew you were awake. Breathing, heartbeat... can't fool a vampire, love."

"Mmmmmm," was her noncommittal response as she squirmed around to face him. He immediately rolled onto his back, pulling her with him to lie stretched out on his body. She dropped her legs to either side of his hips and wriggled against him, smiling at his throaty growl. "So, now that I'm awake, what are you gonna do about it?"

"That's got to be the dumbest thing you've ever said to me," he said, pulling the skin on her neck into his mouth and beginning to suck. Buffy's whimper as she felt her blood being pulled to the spot escaped without her intending to let Spike know exactly how much he was turning her on, and she felt him smile against her skin.

"You're going to give me another hickey," she murmured, tilting her head to give him better access.

"I am," he confirmed, his tone smug. "And then I'm going to demonstrate my sucking skills somewhere else." His lips popped off with a soft plopping noise and he rolled her off so as to able to nibble and kiss his way down her body.

"Promises, promises...oh!" It took only a minute of his attention to his next sucking target to send Buffy's hips rocking up off the bed while she gasped her appreciation. As soon as she was lying bonelessly still, he moved up and slid into her. Instead of beginning to thrust, he pushed himself up with his arms and gazed down at her sated expression. He kept his eyes on her face until she met his gaze with a puzzled frown. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, love. Not a bloody thing. Was just thinking how lucky I am and how much I love you." When she shifted her eyes away, he gave a sad smile and leaned down to rest his forehead against hers. "Not lookin' for the same back, Buffy. Know I'm not what you want in your life. Know I don't deserve you. Got no right to expect you to love a demon. But that doesn't change how I feel about you, and sometimes I'm just gonna have to say it out loud."

"Spike... I..." Buffy's conflicted expression and the way she wrapped her arms and legs tightly around his body put a hopeful glint in his eyes as he lifted his head.

"Shhh, love. Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Got better things to do now than suss out who means what to who, yeah?" He wriggled his hips, grinning when she clutched him even tighter.

"Much better things," she gasped, moving with him in a way that was already familiar to them both. They fell silent except for occasional moans and the inevitable sweet obscenities from Spike that made Buffy whimper and tighten her grip around him. When he crooned, "Come for me, love. Let me watch you, let me feel you around me—" she gave a little shriek and spasmed under him. With a shouted "yes!" he thrust into her until he had nothing left.

They rested, his face in her neck, her legs still wrapped around his hips. When he moved to roll off, she shook her head, holding him in place and smiling when she felt him harden within her. "My turn," she said, flipping them over so that she was sitting on him and staring down at his grinning face.

"I'm all yours, love. Have at it."

XXXXXXX

Spike's head was resting on Buffy's abdomen when her stomach growled and she groaned with embarrassment.

"Guess that means I need to feed you," he said, dropping a kiss on her bellybutton as he sat up.

"Sorry," she mumbled, blushing and putting her hands over her still-complaining stomach. "I'm just really hungry."

"Should have said something," he scolded. "There's food upstairs. I put away that stuff the watcher brought that he wouldn't let you stay here to eat."

"I wonder what time it is? Maybe we—I should get dressed and check in with Giles. And Willow, to see if she's... feeling okay."

"You don't think it was the earth helpin' her toss those rocks around?"

"I don't know." Buffy frowned and glanced over at him. "Do you?"

"Do I think she's got over her little power trip so easily? No. Magic can be pretty addicting – the dark stuff can, anyway. And I don't think bein' on everybody's shit list for a few weeks made a big enough impression on her to change that."

"Awesome. So I still have to worry about Willow." She sighed and began looking for her clothes. "Did you take my underwear again?"

"No idea what you're talking about, pet," he replied with a grin. "Should jus' do like me and skip the knickers."

Buffy shuddered. "No thanks. Give me my panties!"

"Spoil sport." He tossed them to her, then got up and pulled his own jeans on. "I'll go up and get you some food while you finish hiding all your goodies from me."

By the time Buffy got to the upper level, Spike had opened a can of soup and warmed it in the old microwave he'd found. He handed her the warmed bowl and a spoon, then began to spread peanut butter on a piece of mostly fresh bread, saying, "If you're going to be hungry all the time, I'm going to have to put grocery shopping on my things-to-do list."

Buffy hmphed at him and set the too-hot soup down on a table. "Hey, it's not my fault that I end up staying here long enough to get hungry. Anyway, it's only happened twice." She took the slice of bread and peanut butter he handed her. "If you don't want me here that long, just say so. I can always find some other—mmmph!"

Spike's sudden embrace that plastered her and the bread against his chest was accompanied by a snarl.

"That's not funny, Slayer," he said, his mouth close to her ear. "You know I'll never not want you here. Not that I don't think you deserve something better than a crypt, but I'll do my best to make it as comfortable for you as I can. Just haven't had a lot of time yet, what with—"

Buffy interrupted him by turning her head to kiss him. "I was kidding, you big dope. You're the one who was complaining about how I'm always hungry."

"I wasn't complainin', just stating a fact. I need to keep food here for you so you don't ever have to go scampering off because you're hungry. Or for any other reason. Gonna fix the toilet situation, maybe add a shower—"

"Spike..." Buffy nudged him with her nose to make him look at her. "I'm not going to be living here. I can't do that."

He sighed and released his tight grip, keeping his arms around her loosely. He ignored the peanut butter-covered bread now stuck to his bare chest.

"Don't expect it of you, sweetheart. That's not really where I was going with that. It's just that when you i_are/i _here, in my home, I want you to be comfortable. Don't want any reasons for you to leave before you really want or need to. Want it to be safe for you – which might mean asking Red to put up some wards to keep out other demons and vamps, now that I think of it..." His voice trailed off as he thought about how easy it would be for evil creatures to enter a tomb, no matter how warm and cozy he might make it.

"We'll work it out," she said, getting his attention back. "It's not like I need to have a lot if I'm only going to be here when we're—" She plucked the bread from his chest and handed him a napkin from the bag of food and supplies. "Here. Be grateful Giles was so thorough when he went shopping."

Spiked eyed the peanut butter off his chest. "You could just lick it off, you know. It was meant for you."

"Good point," she said, laughing at his surprised expression. "Hold still." Still smiling, she began to lick the peanut butter from his smooth skin, becoming distracted when his nipples pebbled up and he moaned. She quit what she'd been doing to nibble her way down to his navel, but stopped when he reached for her. "I think you'd better use the napkin or we'll miss tonight's Scooby meeting," she said, somewhat breathlessly as she stepped out of reach.

"Ask me if I care," he said even as he obediently finished wiping off his chest. "And don't think we aren't going to continue this later," he finished with a leer.

"Will there be chocolate sauce involved? Cause I like that a lot better than peanut butter."

She blinked at him innocently, giggling when his expression indicated his mind had gone elsewhere. Before he could reply, she walked to the door and started dragging the plinth away. With a sigh, Spike dropped down to his bedroom and quickly finished dressing, rejoining her at the now-open door.

"Alright, love. Let's get this over with."

XXXXXXXXX

When Buffy and Spike eventually walked into the apartment, Willow was watching with a bemused expression on her face as Evelyn and a sweet-looking blonde girl talked animatedly about earth magic and auras and "no-danger" spells.

"Hey," Buffy said, walking up and nudging Willow. "Is that your new friend?"

Willow blushed and nodded. "That's Tara. Turns out she and Evelyn have a lot in common. She never had any formal training, but her mom was a witch and she taught Tara a lot before she died."

"Pretty bird," Spike said, with a sidelong glance at Willow. She frowned and chose not to respond to the words, or the smirk on his face. When she'd moved away to take part in the conversation across the room, Buffy turned to Spike.

"What was that all about?" He shook his head.

"Not mine to tell, pet," he said. He nodded toward the girls across the room from them. "Looks like it's going well, doesn't it?"

Giles approached them, clearing his throat to interrupt. "It appears that Willow's new friend is quite knowledgeable for someone who had only her mother's somewhat unsophisticated background to call upon. I gather she has done some reading on her own, but still..." He gave Buffy a pointed look. "I think Tara will be a good influence on Willow, who seems quite concerned that she not upset her new friend with any inappropriate use of magic. It remains to be seen if she will be honest with Tara about what she's done in the past."

"So, you think Will's going to be okay now?" The relief in Buffy's voice was palpable and Spike and Giles exchanged looks.

"I believe she will be more amenable to learning how to use earth magic. It is very clear that Tara is aware of other sources of power and wishes to have nothing to do with them. So as long as Willow continues to value her opinion, I'm hoping she will avoid doing anything to damage the relationship."

Spike looked at Giles again, raising his eyebrow, but got only a shrug in return. Buffy looked back and forth between them with a puzzle frown. "What? Are you guys doing that 'we're British and we know stuff' thing again?"

While Giles coughed and looked embarrassed, Spike put his arm around Buffy and squeezed. "No, love. We were doing a 'we're older and know stuff' thing. Nothing for you to get your knickers in a twist about."

Although she remained tucked under Spike's arm and snuggled into his side, Buffy looked to Giles for answers.

"So it's going to be all right? Willow's not going to go all evil on us again?"

When Willow waved her hand, inviting Spike and Buffy to come closer and meet Tara, Giles watched them go, hands joined and, if the smiles on Tara and Evelyn's faces were to be believed, sporting joined auras that both witches found very appealing. Too softly for anyone but Spike to hear him, he gave a belated answer to Buffy's question. "That is my sincere hope."

THE END (of this episode, anyway)


End file.
